I didn't care what happened in the last 1:22 of Sunday's Jets game in Buffalo.
That Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen threw a gift of an interception to Jets cornerback Trumaine Johnson two snaps later to seal Gang Green's 27-23 victory was immaterial in my eyes.
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I felt neither elation that the Jets snapped a six-game losing streak by beating a bitter rival that destroyed them 41-10 four weeks ago at MetLife Stadium nor dismay that this win pretty much ended their chances of landing the top pick in the 2019 draft, especially after finding out later that Oakland and San Francisco each triumphed in their respective 4 p.m. games.
All that mattered to me in this season that was doomed from the start was whether this team had finally found a franchise quarterback.
MORE: Darnold Leads Jets To 27-23 Win Over Bills
And in the possession preceding Johnson's second interception of the day, the Jets' own rookie signal-caller took a very important step in that direction.
Sam Darnold, who was drafted third overall in 2018, four slots before Allen went to Buffalo, took over at his own 39-yard line with 2:31 remaining and executed the first fourth-quarter game-winning drive of his career.
Fourth-quarter comebacks are the mark of an NFL quarterback. They require command of the huddle, increased processing speed in recognizing defenses and the ability to be both clutch and error-free.
Darnold had thrown costly interceptions when faced with similar situations earlier in the season, once in Cleveland and in both games versus Miami. He sat the previous three games with a sprained right foot. His one touchdown pass and seven interceptions in his last three outings drew concerns about his lack of improvement. Against the Dolphins, Darnold threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, including a backbreaking pick-six in a 13-6 defeat.
On Sunday, however, Darnold showed growth. The game-winning drive wasn't a hurry-up, but that's nitpicking.
The reason maximum urgency wasn't required was because Darnold threw a gorgeous dime down the right sideline that wide receiver Robby Anderson hauled in for a 37-yard gain to the Bills' 5-yard line on the second play after the two-minute warning.
Darnold and Anderson nearly hooked up again on a second-and-goal play, but Anderson couldn't get both feet inbounds by the left corner of the end zone. On third down, Darnold, who missed the Jets' second series while getting an X-ray on his right foot (different injury, according to Darnold), bulled his way on a QB draw for 3 yards to the 1-yard line before sophomore running back Eli McGuire broke through into the end zone on a fourth-down carry.
This time it was Allen, who already has a fourth-quarter comeback win under his belt from Week 5 versus Tennessee, who made the big rookie mistake in the end game.
Darnold's heroics effectively blew up the tank, for the victory sent the 4-9 Jets down the draft line two slots into fifth with three weeks to go, per tankathon.com.
They could have been first if they had lost out, since their strength of schedule, the tiebreaker, is the easiest among the three 3-10 clubs. I'm sure there are plenty of fans bemoaning the Jets' misguidedness in the big picture.
However, this isn't last season, when fans knew that each of the Jets' five similarly meaningless wins would make it that much harder to get a quality QB in the draft. As it was, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan had to part with three second-round picks to swap slots with Indianapolis and move from six to three.
I'm not going to get worked up about it now. Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa is currently the consensus top pick -- at a position the Jets are desperate to fill -- but would you really be upset if the Jets ended up with the best cover corner, or the best offensive tackle, or the best offensive playmaker in the draft? The Jets need them, too. I'll get into why I think it might even be best for the Jets to trade down as we get closer to the finish line.
Darnold had his downs (a mindless third-quarter interception when the Jets were in field-goal range) and ups (a scramble that ESPN.com accounted for 46.8 yards behind the line of scrimmage before he threw a dart to Anderson in the end zone for a 7-yard TD in the fourth quarter). And he will likely continue to struggle with consistency for at least the rest of this season. Most quarterbacks go through some sort of learning curve. Those that don't are the rarities.
But there has to be signs of progress. There has to be a belief that if you surround this kid with a quality offensive-minded coach and better talent, he can do what's needed to win games.
Jets fans haven't been this hopeful about their quarterback in decades. That's much more important than the computer odds of New York drafting first overall in 2019, per ESPN, dropping from 16 percent before Sunday to 4 percent because Darnold led the Jets to a comeback win.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
