Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James react on Twitter to Sam Darnold's TD run

Tom Gatto

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Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James react on Twitter to Sam Darnold's TD run image

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold didn't plan on running through and past the Broncos' defense for the first points of Thursday night's NFL game — it just . . . happened.

Darnold avoided a blitzer on third down, juked a defensive back, faked a slide and then rambled into the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

The run is the longest in franchise history by a quarterback, and it's the longest by an NFL QB this season. That means Darnold finally has something on Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and the other top quarterbacks in the league. 

MORE: Broncos-Jets live score, results, highlights

Speaking of Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP tweeted his amazement over Darnold's feat (feet?). In his replies: a regal former tight end from Northeast Ohio:

King James compared Darnold on his own timeline to a running back:

As for the rest of Twitter . . .

But because these are the Jets, Darnold's good fortune could not last; he suffered an apparent shoulder injury later in the quarter and was replaced by Joe Flacco, who made his season debut. Flacco was inactive for the Jets' first three games as he completed his recovery from offseason neck surgery.

Darnold reentered the game early in the second quarter and was immediately sacked.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.