For the second straight season, the Jets are 3-3 heading into Week 7, but this feels different.

Just ask backup quarterback Josh McCown.

McCown, who was the Jets starting quarterback last season, had the team off to a surprising 3-2 start heading into Week 6 before they sputtered and finished the season 2-9 to close with a 5-11 record.

But the 39-year-old veteran, who now serves as a backup to rookie Sam Darnold, does not envision that happening again and points to the young core that is maturing and finding its identity.

"We're one year older as a group," McCown said, per the New York Post. "Having been through that, a lot of the core guys are still here. I think that's important because when you go through those things and look at the result and think, 'What do we have to do to make it different?' it's hard to do that when you have a bunch of different players.

"But when you have a good core group that's gone through that and then goes through the offseason, then training camp and then these first few weeks, the message that coach [Todd] Bowles is sending is, 'Let's change it this year and make it better.'"

The Jets defense has certainly delivered with that message. They are second in the league with 15 takeaways after having just 20 total last season.

Couple that with the emergence of Darnold at quarterback and suddenly the Jets are looking like a more complete team.

"We're finding an identity and that's critical," McCown said. "The defense is doing a good job of taking the ball away and we're protecting the football. Sam grows every game and our offense grows. That's what coach [Jeremy] Bates keeps pushing to us - keep chasing improvement. When that's your goal you'll be on the right side of the scoreboard a lot."

Darnold will face a critical test on Sunday when a stingy Vikings defense comes to MetLife Stadium to face the Jets, but McCown has been impressed with how the 21-year-old has handled himself.

The rookie quarterback has certainly had his ups and downs, but McCown likes his maturity and Darnold has clicked the last two games -- tossing five touchdowns to two interceptions -- both Jets victories.

"Sam has put in the time, to his credit, and the coaches have been awesome with him," McCown said. "His maturity and his character have been great to where it's almost as if he went through that with us last year. A lot of those conversations that he and I have are talking through things like, 'This is what it felt like last year; this is how we have to focus; this is the message we need to keep hammering home.' He's doing a great job of handling that. So it's credit to Sam."

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