Breece Hall warned them.
Before he broke a 72-yard touchdown against the Broncos on Sunday, the Jets running back gave Sean Payton and Co. a warning that it was coming.
It came with seven minutes left in the first quarter. It was first-and-10 from the Jets’ own 37-yard line, and Hall took a handoff from Zach Wilson and hit a hole on the left side behind tackle Mekhi Becton. He then cut right and had one man to beat, but Denver cornerback Damarri Mathis made a shoestring tackle to prevent a touchdown.
Hall hopped to his feet and looked at the Broncos sideline and held up his right hand with his thumb and index finger less than an inch apart to indicate how close he was to breaking it.
“Honestly, I felt like I probably should have had three touchdowns,” Hall said Wednesday.
He only ended up with one, but what a touchdown it was. Hall raced 72 yards to the end zone on the Jets’ first play of the second half, hitting 21.5 mph as he raced through the Broncos’ defense, just like he warned them he would. The touchdown gave the Jets the lead on their way to a 31-21 victory.
It was a full circle moment for Hall on Sunday, returning to the stadium where his rookie season was cut short a year ago when he tore the ACL in his left knee. He announced he was all the way back this year at Mile High, gaining 194 scrimmage yards and reminding everyone just what the Jets were missing when he was out for the final 10 games last season.
“He’s a home-run hitter, and anytime you have someone like that in your offense it makes everyone in the whole offense better as a whole,” wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “It makes the whole team better.”
Sunday’s performance drove home just how important Hall is to the Jets. We maybe did not appreciate just how big of a loss it was for the 2022 team when he went down in Week 7. The Jets were 5-2 when Hall got hurt. They only won two more games last season.
The blame for the 2022 collapse fell on the play of Zach Wilson, because we always blame the quarterback. But Hall’s absence created a tough situation for Wilson, who was playing efficient football with Hall lining up behind him. With Hall out, Wilson was asked to do more, and he could not.
Now, Hall is back, and Sunday’s win looked a lot like a game from last October when the Jets leaned on their defense and Hall to win games for them. It is not a formula that is going to result in a Lombardi Trophy, but the Jets can win games playing like this.
Hall may end up being the Most Valuable Player on this team. There are plenty of good players on the field — from Garrett Wilson to Sauce Gardner to Quinnen Williams and C.J. Mosley. But it is hard to think of anyone on this team who would be harder to replace. Hall is averaging 7.2 yards per attempt.
The most common description of Hall is that he is a “home-run hitter.” To use another sports analogy, he is like Steph Curry in that his range feels limitless.
“It’s ridiculous,” Garrett Wilson said. “I get caught watching sometimes. I have to make sure I’m helping him get to the end zone. He’s a threat from anywhere. It’s fun to watch.”
Like Curry, it sometimes does not even look like Hall is straining to be great. He has runs of 83, 72 and 43 yards this season.
“He makes it look effortless at times,” tight end Tyler Conklin said. “When he breaks a 60-yard run, it looks like he’s just jogging down the sideline and he’s running 21.5 miles per hour. It looks like he’s not trying at times. He’s a super special player. I’m happy we got him back.”
Coach Robert Saleh likes to describe Hall as a deceptive runner, because he is so big (220 pounds) that sometimes it is hard to believe he is moving as fast as he is.
The Jets and Hall have a special challenge this week. The Eagles have the No. 1 rushing defense in football, allowing just 61.2 yards per game.
For the Jets to have a shot at the upset, they are going to need Hall to find some running room.
Don’t bet against him. Hey Eagles, you’ve been warned.
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