The New York Jets got some bad news this week, as Sam Darnold will not be play-calling in next week’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
Former Denver Broncos starter Trevor Siemian will take his place at center for the Monday Night Football matchup.
Darnold reportedly contracted mononucleosis this week and the team said that it would take him at least a couple of weeks to recover. Head coach Adam Gase stated that Darnold had already lost this week, which means they might not expect him back for a while. With a Week 4 bye, it sounded like Gase was hinting at a Week 5 comeback for the quarterback that is projected to have a stellar season. This is a blow to the Jets after the team lost to the Buffalo Bills by one point in the opener and now facing a rising Browns team.
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The team stated that the QB could be out for no longer than two weeks, although the “incubation period” for mono could be four to six weeks, per the Mayo Clinic website.
“The virus has an incubation period of approximately four to six weeks, although in young children this period may be shorter,” the website reads. “Signs and symptoms such as a fever and sore throat usually lessen within a couple of weeks, but fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes and a swollen spleen may last for a few weeks longer.”
The Jets could have more bad news if star running back Le’Veon Bell does not recover in time. Bell complained of shoulder soreness and was held out of practice on Thursday. An MRI showed no serious damage to his shoulder.
The Jets are projected to improve over their last three consecutive seasons. Darnold and the rest of the offense did not look particularly sharp against the Bills, as they got half their points on defense, before a pass from Darnold to Bell in the second quarter led to a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Bills scored 17 unanswered points from the end of the third quarter on to seal the game.
The Jets are somewhat of an underdog against the Browns for next week, but now those odds have risen significantly.
