Back with full workload, Jets’ Breece Hall reminds everyone of the ‘special back’ he is
It was a frustrating start to the season for the Jets and running back Breece Hall.
Working his way back from a torn ACL suffered late last season, the star tailback faced a bit of a workload restriction early on. Despite being one of the top playmakers in a struggling Jets offense, Hall received just 22 carries over the last three weeks.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, the handcuffs came off for the former second-round pick.
Back where he suffered the season-ending injury in Week 11 of 2022, Hall worked without a pitch count for the first time all year, and he broke out in a big way against a porous Broncos defense.
Hall scored New York’s lone offensive touchdown in their 31-21 win, breaking free for a 72-yard scamper, which was the fourth longest rushing TD in franchise history.
He showcased that game-changing speed he showed so often in his rookie campaign, reaching a max of 21.5 mph, according to Next Gen stats, and left his teammates awfully impressed.
“That dude's a stud,” quarterback Zach Wilson said postgame. “When you give Breece a chance to hit the hole like that and he’s able to make some guys miss we can be very explosive in the running game. Unbelievable job.”
“He’s just a special back and he makes it so easy to block for him,” tight end Tyler Conklin added. “It’s so weird watching him run because it looks like he’s not trying then all of a sudden he’s running away from people for a big gain every game.”
Hall went on to finish the breakout day with a total of 177 yards on 22 carries, both of which were new career-highs, while also reeling in three receptions for 18 yards.
“Yeah he’s pretty good, isn’t he,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “It was good to see him take one to the house, he’s a special back for sure. He’s kind of a deceptive runner because he’s so massive, he’s definitely special.”
Though Hall was certainly excited to finally put together the performance he and his teammates have been looking for, he was mainly happy to be able to pull out the win for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
“It was good today,” Hall said. “It was good mostly for coach Hackett. I wasn’t really worried about myself today, we wanted to come in and get a win for him and we did that. The better coach and the better team won.”
Hall and the Jets will look to build off this win as they head home for a Week 6 matchup against quarterback Jalen Hurts and the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
