New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was caught saying "I'm seeing ghosts" against the New England Patriots defense during the first half of Monday night's 33-0 loss.
Darnold was mic'd up for the game, and the ESPN broadcast showed him on the sideline making the surprising admission.
The 22-year-old quarterback explained what he meant by the ghosts comment, telling reporters after the game, "When I talk to the coaches, I've just got to be straight up. For me, I've just got to see the field a lot better, that's kinda what that means. It was a rough night out there. Obviously, I've got to be better and learn from the mistakes, but we will get better."
Darnold definitely didn't see the field well at all. He threw four interceptions, and each one happened as a result of a horrible throw/decision. The USC product also completed just 11 of his 32 pass attempts for 86 yards with zero touchdowns.
In fairness to Darnold, the Patriots have made many quarterbacks look pretty bad this season, but his performance Monday was a new low. Darnold had a 3.7 passer rating, which is the lowest mark by an opposing quarterback against the Patriots in Bill Belichick's 21-year tenure as the team's head coach.
Jets running back Le'Veon Bell told reporters that Darnold "learned a lot (Monday night)." He's certainly not wrong.
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
The next step for Darnold is taking this experience and using it to correct the weaknesses in his game that are holding him back from being a top-tier NFL quarterback.
Kyle Van Noy has priceless reaction to Darnold 'seeing ghosts'>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.