Sam Darnold was diplomatic after the worst day of his young career. He called the ragtag group of receivers that the Jets surrounded him "great players," which is a label that even they might dispute.
Darnold was bad in the 37-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that was as predictable as it was ugly. He forced passes into double coverage. He overthrew his intended targets. He denied having trouble with the swirling MetLife Stadium wind, but in the two quarters that he threw into the teeth of it, he completed just two of 13 passes for minus-2 yards.