NEW YORK — Sam Darnold’s spleen is fully healthy and he’ll be back under center as the struggling Jets’ starting quarterback.
Finally.
Darnold was cleared by doctors Tuesday to play this week after he missed three games while recovering from mononucleosis. He had medical tests to determine if the swelling in his spleen – a common symptom of the illness – had dissipated enough for him to play again. The Jets announced in a Twitter post that Darnold would start Sunday at home against Dallas.
It’s some rare good news for the Jets, who are 0-4 – their worst start since 2003 – while dealing with several injuries to key players. And Darnold’s illness is at the top of the list.
The team was optimistic last week that Darnold would be able to play at Philadelphia, which was the initial goal for his return. Darnold took first-team snaps last Wednesday and Thursday, but an ultrasound and blood test last Thursday night revealed he was not yet able to be fully cleared. So Luke Falk – on one day of full reps with the first-team offense – started his second straight game for New York.
The Jets lost 31-6 and Falk was sacked nine times and had two turnovers returned for touchdowns while New York struggled to get anything going on offense. That has been a common theme during Darnold’s absence, with Adam Gase’s offense ranking at or near the bottom of the league in several categories. New York has just 233 yards of total offense in its last two games combined. With Falk starting, the Jets had 105 against New England two weeks ago and 128 at Philadelphia.
“It’s probably more than just Sam getting out there,” Gase said Monday. “We have a lot of other things to clean up. Sam is able to hide things sometimes for us, where if we make a mistake, he covers it up. I think we just need to do a better job as a group making sure that all 11 are on the same page.”
Darnold was diagnosed with mono on Sept. 11, three days after the season-opening loss to Buffalo. He acknowledged that he was beginning to experience symptoms leading into that game and was not 100 percent against the Bills, going 28 of 41 for 175 yards and a touchdown. He was sent home before practice three days later and received the diagnosis that night.
STEELERS: Coach Mike Tomlin says quarterback Mason Rudolph “appears to be doing fine” but remains in the concussion protocol following an illegal hit by Baltimore safety Earl Thomas. Rudolph left Sunday’s overtime loss to Baltimore in the third quarter after Thomas hit Rudolph in the chin with his helmet.
Rudolph was knocked unconscious on the play but was able to slowly make his way off the field. Tomlin made it a point to say Rudolph was cleared by medical personnel to walk off under his own power and the fact the medical cart malfunctioned didn’t play a factor in the decision. Rudolph went to a hospital for evaluation before being cleared to go home.
Rudolph was at the team’s facility on Monday, but Tomlin declined to give a timetable on Rudolph’s potential availability for Sunday’s visit to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
BRONCOS: Cornerback De’Vante Bausby says he was paralyzed for half an hour Sunday after wrenching his neck in the second quarter of Denver’s 20-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
“After 30 minutes I could wiggle my toes. After two hours, I could move everything else,” Bausby said Tuesday, his neck brace sitting next to his locker.
Bausby collided with linebacker Alexander Johnson while tackling running back Austin Ekeler and crumpled to the grass. He said he never lost consciousness as he was strapped to a backboard, taken off the field on a cart and transported to a Los Angeles trauma center where he was diagnosed with a cervical sprain.
Bausby said he never panicked that he’d be permanently paralyzed because his neurologist reassured him that he’d regain movement.
“I was just calm and I just trusted what our doc was saying,” said Bausby, who was able to walk out of the hospital and rejoin his teammates following their win.
TRADE: Receiver Zay Jones is going from the end of the Buffalo bench to a fresh start with the Raiders after being traded to Oakland for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, according to reports.
The trade comes as both teams enter their bye weeks.
FALCONS: Atlanta placed safety Johnathan Cyprien on injured reserve with a foot injury. The Falcons acquired Cyprien from Philadelphia on Sept. 30 in a trade for linebacker Duke Riley after losing starter Keanu Neal to a season-ending torn left Achilles tendon. Cyprien played in only one game with Atlanta.
MONDAY’S GAME: Matt Breida ran 83 yards for a touchdown on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage, Baker Mayfield was harassed into his worst game as a pro, and the 49ers stayed unbeaten for their best start in nearly 30 years, beating the Cleveland Browns 31-3.
Tevin Coleman added a 19-yard score as part of a dominant ground game on a day when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 181 yards and kicker Robbie Gould missed a pair of field goal attempts and had a third try blocked.
San Francisco (4-0) joined the 5-0 New England Patriots as the only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. It’s the first time the 49ers have won their first four games since 1990. The Browns (2-3) are headed the opposite direction after losing two of three, with fresh concerns about their young quarterback.
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