DETROIT (AP) — Sam Darnold’s career can only improve from here, right?
The New York rookie threw an interception on his very first NFL play, and Detroit’s Quandre Diggs returned it 37 yards for a touchdown to give the Lions a 7-0 lead over the Jets on Monday night.
Darnold was drafted with the third-overall pick this year, and he earned the start in the season opener. But his first throw looked ill-advised from the moment it left his hand, floating toward the left sideline, where Diggs picked it off.
Darnold does have some company, at least. Jameis Winston had his first pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown in 2015. That was the first time a rookie’s first throw was returned for a TD since Brett Favre — then with Atlanta — in 1991.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFLfootball and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
