With Breece Hall dealing with thigh injury, Jets may have to turn to Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis at running back
The Jets' Breece Hall is injured during the second half against the Lions in Detroit on Sunday. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
The Jets’ rushing attack is stuck in neutral, and now they may be without their best back.
Breece Hall left Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Detroit with a thigh injury and was ruled out pretty quickly. It wasn’t a good sign, nor was how dejected Hall seemed when he spoke about what happened when he took a toss from Geno Smith.
“I felt something when I was running and then got tackled and planted and felt something else,” he said.
Aaron Glenn had no update on Hall during a Monday Zoom. The NFL Network reported that Hall received good news on his MRI but still is considered week-to-week. Glenn said the Jets have enough in the running back room with Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis if Hall is unable to play in this week’s game at Chicago or beyond that.
“We have Braelon, we have Isaiah,” Glenn said. “I’ve never been the type of coach that blamed games or issues on injuries because of the fact that it’s a play style more than anything else that gets you over the hump.”
Allen and Davis might have to share the lead back responsibilities somewhat, given that neither has been put in that position with the Jets.
Hall has missed only two games since Allen and Davis were drafted in 2024. They played in only one of them and split carries. Allen had 11 and Davis 10 in an overtime loss in Miami during their rookie season before Glenn’s arrival. Davis’ career high is 10 rushes. Allen’s is 12.
They’re different from the more polished Hall. The big, burly Allen has been used in short-yardage situations and has averaged 3.7 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns as Hall’s primary backup. One came this season. Allen had another called back because of a penalty.
Allen appeared to miss his assignment when Lions safety Chuck Clark had a free run to Smith on the sack and fumble with less than 50 seconds left that ended the Jets’ hopes of winning the game. Glenn chalked up the sequence to “a miscommunication” and added that Smith “has to be able to hold on to the ball.”
Davis is quicker and shiftier than Allen. He has been used more in third-down situations to catch passes out of the backfield and is averaging 6.5 yards per touch with three touchdowns. Davis hasn’t played an offensive snap this season after missing most of training camp with a knee injury.
Besides the health of Hall and starting left guard Dylan Parham, who exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury, the overall state of the Jets’ offensive line is a big concern.
It was expected to be a strength, but it hasn’t lived up to that. The offensive line also isn’t showing the play style Glenn wants up front — a mean, nasty, violent group that protects Smith and opens holes for the backs.
The offensive line did that in Week 1, dominating Tennessee to the tune of 152 rushing yards and no sacks on Smith. In the past two games, the line has been pushed around and dominated by Green Bay and Detroit.
The Jets have totaled 125 rushing yards in the past two games, with 58 coming against the Lions. Take away Smith’s scrambles and gadget plays such as end-arounds with a receiver or tight end, and the backs have run for 82 yards on 38 carries — 2.2 yards per carry.
“That’s one area that we have to fix,” Glenn said. “You’re absolutely right when you identify that. And that was one of the things I said we have to have urgency of trying to make sure we get that done because that’s been a strong point of ours, especially after the first game.”
Smith also has faced much more pressure in the last two games. He’s been sacked nine times and hit 17.
The sacks are coming at critical times, too. Two came on back-to-back plays on the Jets’ only series in overtime against the Packers. Two came on back-to-back plays with the Jets in the red zone against Detroit, along with the final one that sealed the game.
Right tackle Armand Membou described Sunday’s performance up front as “disappointing” and acknowledged that the group is coming up short in blocking for the run and pass protection. It’s impressive that Smith completed 74.4% of his passes and threw four touchdowns with no interceptions despite the duress he’s been under the past two games.
The Jets had a chance on the final drive Sunday to force overtime or win the game with a two-point conversion.
“You guys know me well enough to know what I would have done,” Glenn said.
He would have gone for two. The way the Jets have been running the football — and especially with Hall not in the game — the play call should have been a pass.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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