This is what Sam Darnold and Robby Anderson have been waiting for.
The connection between the Jets rookie quarterback and their speedy receiver was in perfect sync in Sunday’s 34-16 win over the Broncos at MetLife Stadium.
Anderson, the most dangerous big-play skill-position player on the roster, entered the game with just eight catches and one touchdown. He caught three passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns that completely changed the tenor of the game.
The 76-yard Darnold scoring pass to Anderson with 10:46 remaining in the first half gave the Jets their first lead, 14-7, and one they would never relinquish.
The 35-yard Darnold scoring pass to Anderson with 1:13 remaining in the first half gave the Jets the 21-10 lead they would take into halftime.
“I was just looking at the safety, looking at what he was going to do, and then I knew that Robby was going to beat [the corner] deep, so I just put it out there for him,’’ Darnold said.
Both were perfectly thrown balls, passes that Anderson caught in stride.
“I’m starting to feel the rhythm of Robby’s timing and how fast he gets downfield,’’ Darnold said. “It’s awesome.’’
Jets coach Todd Bowles was encouraged to see Darnold and Anderson connect.
“Robby is a great deep-ball guy and Sam is developing a lot of trust in him,’’ Bowles said. “It’s good to see it happen. Sam threw some great balls today.’’
On a day when Darnold’s final statistics — 10-of-22 for 198 yards with three touchdowns and one interception with a 98.1 passer rating — were modest, there were so many things he did well.
He got two first downs on third-and-1 plays — Tom Brady style — on quarterback sneaks, both of which went for 3-yard gains.
He quick-snapped the Broncos defense, recognizing they had 12 players on the field — Brady and Aaron Rodgers specialties — and drawing a freebie 5 penalty yards. This is a clear sign of his game awareness improving.
“He did a great job of realizing that situation,’’ left tackle Kelvin Beachum said.
“He did good today. I feel like he started to get a little more comfortable,’’ Anderson said. “He put us in position to win. He led us.’’
Never better than with those two second-quarter touchdown passes to Anderson that changed the game.
“Yeah, that felt good,’’ Anderson said. “I love big plays like that and I feel like that play alone [the 76-yard touchdown] gave us a lot of energy, provided a big spark to the game. We knew we had to get the ball down the field and get things going.’’
