Jets QB Sam Darnold Has Mono, Likely Will Miss Patriots Game In Week 3

The New York Jets’ inauspicious start just got worse.

The Jets, who blew a 16-point lead in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, will play the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2, and they’ll do so without quarterback Sam Darnold. The third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has mono, the Jets announced Thursday, and he’ll miss at least the next two weeks.

That means not only will Darnold miss Monday’s game with the Browns — a game with admittedly premature potential playoff implications — but he’ll also miss the Jets’ Week 3 game against the New England Patriots in Foxboro.

Veteran signal-caller Trevor Siemian will start at QB for the Jets until Darnold is healthy enough to return.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Luke Falk will be the Jets’ backup quarterback.

The good news, if you want to put it that way, is the Jets have an early bye in Week 4 this season.