Sep 30, 2024
Through one quarter of the Jets’ touchdown-less loss to the Denver Broncos, Breece Hall’s stat line was particularly jarring. Seven carries for -3 yards. Six of those carries for no gain or a loss. Zero receptions. He was called for a false start with the Jets backed up to their own 1-yard line, then stuffed twice at the Broncos’ goal line on a drive that ended with a 23-yard field goal. It was a tough start to an overall rough day for the star running back, who finished the rain-soaked, 10-9 loss to the Broncos with a career-low four rushing yards on 10 attempts and a season-low two catches for 14 yards. His longest carry of the afternoon went for three yards. “Unfortunately for me, I haven’t been having the big rushing games and stuff like that, but I just try to do my part in the pass [protection], do my part in play fakes, communicating with Aaron [Rodgers], communicating with the O-linemen if I’ve got to be in the receiving game,” Hall said. “Obviously, I wish I could run for 100, 200 yards every game, but realistically right now, I’m the focal point of most defenses, so it’s just really not happening.” Last season, the do-it-all Hall ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,585 scrimmage yards, despite being the featured piece on an offense that cycled through Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian at quarterback. With Rodgers back from last year’s Achilles tear to lead a much more balanced offense, Hall was expected to elevate his play even further, but he’s yet to rush for more than 62 yards in any of the Jets’ first four games. His 174 rushing yards ranked 28th in the NFL to begin Monday. He was averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Fourth-round rookie running back Braelon Allen has been far more efficient, rushing for 130 yards on 27 carries — an average of 4.8 yards per carry — this season while scoring one touchdown on the ground and another through the air. Allen, a 235-pound bruiser with good vision, led the Jets with 34 yards on eight carries Sunday in what was the third game in a row that he received at least seven handoffs. And while Hall has remained an effective receiver — his 18 catches rank second on the team, while his 134 receiving yards rank third — he is nonetheless off to a slow start in an offense that has looked nothing like it’s supposed to. “The five D-linemen was giving us problems,” Hall said of the Broncos’ defensive scheme. “Obviously, I wish I could have been better from a whole, whether it’s just sticking my head in there and trying to get the dirty yards or whatever the case may be. At the end of the day, I’m my biggest critic, so I felt like I could’ve been better at helping out the O-line today and helping them set their blocks better.” Rodgers said the Jets need to “do a better job of getting [Hall] runs to get in space,” while head coach Robert Saleh downplayed Hall’s lack of production as “just a bad day.” “It wasn’t his best game, but I don’t think there’s an issue with Breece with regards to explosiveness and all that,” Saleh said Monday. “He still has plenty of juice.” The Jets’ offense as a whole has appeared out of sync for stretches this season, but none more so than Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Five pre-snap penalties on offense caused Saleh to question whether the Jets were “good enough or ready to handle” Rodgers’ signature cadence. Asked about Saleh’s suggestion the offense could dial back cadence, Rodgers replied, “That’s one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable.” Rodgers was not on the same page with No. 1 receiver Garrett Wilson or Xavier Gipson on critical fourth-quarter throws. The 40-year-old quarterback’s still-developing connection with Wilson continues to be scrutinized, particularly after another pedestrian performance by the third-year wideout. Fresh off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Wilson is yet to exceed 60 receiving yards this year. He’s led the Jets in receiving in only one game thus far, and he lost a fumble on the Jets’ opening possession Sunday. “Very frustrating,” Wilson said. “Especially knowing that it’s going to rain, you’ve to be ready for that.” Wilson, 24, regularly draws an opponent’s top cornerback, as he did Sunday with the Broncos’ Patrick Surtain, who is notorious for shutting down top receivers. “They’re tough to throw against,” Saleh said of the Broncos. “These first three games, they’ve been doubling Garrett and giving him a lot of attention, and Surtain’s one of the better ones in the league. [Wilson] had his [opportunities], but they’ll get going. I’m not worried too much about it.” And while Rodgers again downplayed the significance of him missing mandatory minicamp over the summer during last week’s appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” his chemistry with Wilson and Hall remains a work in progress after their fourth full game together. It doesn’t get easier for the 2-2 Jets, whose next opponent, the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, allow only 75.0 rushing yards and 14.8 points per game. “We had some chances, but way too many mental mistakes, too many poor throws, and then we just missed some easy stuff, some protection stuff that should have been easy, some route-adjustment stuff that should have been easy,” Rodgers said after Sunday’s loss. “Our focus just wasn’t as sharp as it has been the first three weeks.
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