FLORHAM PARK White Mark Gastineau Jerseys , N.J. (AP)The big day finally arrived, and Sam Darnold had the perfect plan for celebrating his 21st birthday.”Playing football,” the New York Jets rookie quarterback said with a huge grin.The birthday boy is now officially of the legal drinking age, but Darnold wasn’t expecting to toast the milestone Tuesday night.”Probably not,” he said, smiling. ”I’ll probably just stay in and go to sleep early, like I have been every single night.”Partying is not high on the list for Darnold, who’s the youngest player on the Jets’ roster – and the fresh-faced future of the franchise.The No. 3 overall draft pick out of USC has taken a businesslike approach to his introduction to life in the NFL. Eat, sleep and dream football.Those are Darnold’s days. Every day.”I’m making a ton of strides, but at the same time, I’m not exactly where I want to be,” Darnold said. ”But I know it’s going to take time and it’s a process. I’m aware of that and it’s exciting, though, to understand the playbook the way I am and the strides I’m making. I’m really excited about where I’m going right now.”Darnold will compete with veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater this summer for the starting job, and he’s giving Todd Bowles and his coaching staff plenty to consider early in this offseason.The youngster looked predictably shaky in his first practice of organized team activities two weeks ago, but has appeared increasingly more poised in the sessions open to the media since.”He’s just more comfortable with the playbook and obviously seeing things a couple of times will make you more comfortable,” Bowles said. ”He’s just hard-working. Everything we thought coming in. He’s going to work every day Mark Gastineau Jerseys 2019 , wants to be good, understands the mistakes he makes, works at them night and day, and watches film and asks questions.”At this time of year, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.”During Tuesday’s practice, Darnold tossed a badly underthrown pass that safety Jamal Adams, last year’s first-rounder, easily intercepted.For a guy who was celebrating his birthday, it was certainly a gift – but for the defense.”Yeah, I just made a bad read on it,” Darnold said. ”I should’ve just dumped it down to the back, but I tried to force one in there.”Rookie mistake.”He retains things when you tell him,” Bowles said. ”He makes mistakes, but doesn’t make the same one twice, so he’s very good from that standpoint as far as retaining information.”Late in practice, though, Darnold had perhaps his prettiest play as a pro. He zipped a deep pass down the sideline that dropped over the reach of safety Kacy Rodgers II and right into Chad Hansen’s hands. It was a terrific throw and a reminder of why so many labeled Darnold as ”special” in the months leading up to the draft.But such is the up-and-down life of a rookie quarterback that Darnold overthrew his final pass of practice on a deep toss to a wide-open Jordan Leggett. There’s no doubt Darnold would be spending part of his birthday night breaking that down in the film room.Darnold’s development has included lots of rewinding and fast-forwarding through plays Youth Wayne Chrebet Jerseys , and dissecting every move. He’s got that type of time now, because football is the only thing that matters these days.”I don’t have class, so I’m spending every single day in the film room or on the practice field,” he said. ”So in regards to that, just being able to spend time watching football and playing football is awesome. To be able to come in here every single day and do it for a living, that’s pretty sweet.”Darnold also recognizes the value of working with McCown and Bridgewater on and off the field.”What makes it really cool is that they’re really good players,” Darnold said. ”They’ve experienced ball and they understand what’s going on on the field all the time, at all times. It’s amazing to be able to learn from them. After that play with Jamal, to be able to talk about it with them is something that is really cool, to be able to do that right after the play and get that feedback.”Darnold has had to make several adjustments since coming to the Jets, including calling plays in the huddle – something he hadn’t done much of at USC. He also says the increased pace of the game is evident, even in practice.”It’s faster, which is what I thought it would be, so it’s been awesome,” he said. ”It’s just been a learning experience, just learning every single day and getting used to it has been awesome.”Darnold says ”awesome” a lot and sounds like a kid who’s happy to be doing what he loves.”You know, no Wayne Chrebet Jerseys Stitched , I don’t feel any different,” a smiling Darnold said of his milestone birthday. ”It’s cool to be 21, but at the same time, I’m just coming here every single day ready for practice. Nothing’s changing for me.”— Their margin for error is completely gone, and with one more loss, the Cleveland Browns can say goodbye to their playoff hopes as well.They may have already.Another demoralizing setback last week in Pittsburgh has left the Browns with no option but to win their final four games — starting with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday — to have any chance of ending a 17-year postseason drought, the NFL's current longest dry spell.December was supposed to be the Browns' runway to the playoffs. Instead, it might be a dead end.“We have to buckle down and win each game from here on out," said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who suffered a bruised right throwing hand last week. “It is just plain and simple. We can’t have any slip-ups and we have to win.”This season that offered such promise after so many dreadful ones in Cleveland has plummeted, leaving the Browns (5-7) to ponder what might have been.“For everybody there's been a lot of disappointment," said star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who hasn't had nearly the impact forecast when he arrived via trade in March. “There's areas that we expected more of ourselves, not like we didn't know we were going to have to go out and work for it, but we just expected it, and we were willing to go get it. We just didn't get it."For the Bengals (1-11), there's a glimmer amid gloom.Seemingly on their way to an 0-16 season Infant Jachai Polite Jersey , they ended the longest losing in franchise history last week by beating the New York Jets 22-6. Cincinnati's return to the win column coincided with quarterback Andy Dalton's return to the starting lineup.The veteran was benched three games by first-year coach Zac Taylor, but Dalton put his hurt feelings aside and showed he's still got some magic inside his orange-and-black striped helmet.Dalton's hoping to conjure some more over the final four weeks.“You have to have confidence in yourself," he said. “Confidence is contagious. It’s one of those things where, if you practice well, if you go into the week, guys are in the right spots, you’re talking about everything, you’re giving everyone else confidence that you’re going to get a win on Sunday.“That’s the way I’m going to go about practicing for these last four games and these last four weeks and do whatever we can to make sure guys are feeling good for the games on Sundays.”HANDY MANMayfield's expected to play despite the hand injury, which he sustained when he smashed it on the facemask of a Steelers player last week. The second-year QB didn't throw until Thursday, and said he'd like to play without wearing a glove as he did in the second half on Sunday.Mayfield's had an uneven second season — he led the league in interceptions through seven weeks — but it hasn't changed the Browns feeling that he'll develop into an elite player.“He is a tremendous football player — competitor, smart, tough, has a rare competitive quality and a rare want to be great," said offensive coordinator Todd Monken. “... in my mind, we have the right guy going forward.”ROSS RETURNSWide receiver John Ross returns this week after missing eight games with a shoulder injury, giving the Bengals a much-needed playmaker.Cincinnati has lacked a deep threat most of the season with A.J. Green sidelined by an ankle surgery and Ross can fill the void. He had touchdown catches of 33, 55 and 66 yards in the first two games Jachai Polite Jersey Draft , the start of what he'd hoped was a breakout season.Ross got to work with Dalton on the scout team for two weeks while he was getting back into shape. Games will be a different, but welcomed experience."It's hard to simulate a game during practice because there's only so many things you can do," Ross said. "It's not full-speed tackling and things like that. So I think that's something I'm going to have to adjust to real quick."ROOKIE MATCHUPFor just the second time, the “Battle of Ohio” will feature two rookie coaches with Taylor matched up against Browns coach Freddie Kitchens.The only other time it happened was in 1984, when Cleveland's Marty Schottenheimer was opposite Cincinnati's Sam Wyche, who five years later provided one of the most memorable moments in the rivalry's history when he scolded Bengals fans for throwing objects on the field by reminding them, "You don't live in Cleveland.RISING DEFENSECincinnati's defense is coming off its best three-game stretch of the season, allowing no more than 17 points in any game.The biggest improvement has been on the line, which was shoved around earlier this season. End Carlos Dunlap tied his career high with three sacks of Sam Darnold in last week's breakthrough win. The Bengals are on their fourth defensive coordinator in four years, which contributed to some of the issues earlier this season."We’re settling into each other I think," coordinator Lou Anarumo said. "I’ve had no issues and no complaints with the guys all year. They are executing a whole lot better of late."BAD KARMAA loss would relegate the Bengals to last place alone in the AFC North for the second year in a row. They haven't finished last in consecutive seasons since 2001-02. They've lost 13 of 14 overall and 18 of 20, including nine straight division games since a 34-23 win over Baltimore on Sept 13, 2018.They were swept by the Browns last season, and a loss would give them three straight against Cleveland for the first time since 2001-02.AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed.