Sam Darnold Explains Why He Struggles Vs. Patriots, Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots apparently have the formula for stopping Sam Darnold.

The Carolina Panthers quarterback explained to reporters Sunday why he has struggled against the Patriots and their legendary head coach during his career. Darnold said New England’s game plan combined with his own poor decision making produced one of his worst performances in the Patriots’ 24-6 win over the Panthers.

“I think just playing man coverage and then trying to create picks and create confusion up front,” Darnold said in his postgame press conference. “I think that’s the biggest thing that they do and they do a really good job of it. Again, I think it just comes down to my decision making. We had guys in the place that we wanted, just couldn’t get them the ball and turned it over few too many times.”

Darnold finished 16-for-33 with three interceptions and a passer rating of just 26.3. The third-quarter interception he threw to J.C. Jackson — which the Patriots cornerback returned for a touchdown — prompted Twitter to collectively proclaim the Panthers signal caller was “seeing ghosts” again.

Darnold now is 0-4 in four career starts against Belichick’s Patriots. Chances are they won’t cross paths again this season, and Darnold can take some solace in that.