The Jets run game on both sides of the ball failed them when they needed it most

With all the hype surrounding Aaron Rodgers finally coming into this season healthy, it can be easy to forget that the most important part of the New York Jets offense is their run game. The Jets knew at the beginning of the year that they had a true bell-cow running back in Breece Hall, but […]

Mike Antoniou
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ew York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) carries the ball as Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) defends during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With all the hype surrounding Aaron Rodgers finally coming into this season healthy, it can be easy to forget that the most important part of the New York Jets offense is their run game.

The Jets knew at the beginning of the year that they had a true bell-cow running back in Breece Hall, but the emergence of Braelon Allen has made for a dynamic duo in the backfield that should be formidable for any defense to deal with. Yet that wasn’t the case on Sunday.

The Jets lost to the Denver Broncos 10-9 at MetLife Stadium in a truly ugly game that was one of the worst coached football games I have ever seen. It was a game played a terrible, constant rain and the perfect opportunity for the Jets to flex their offensive muscle behind their duo at running back. And yet, this game almost set the record for ineptitude.

The Jets could not get a running game going at any point of this game. Breece Hall rushed the ball 10 times for four yards. That is not a type-o. Hall averaged 0.4 yards per rush in what was easily his worst game as a pro. Hall struggled catching the ball and even in pass protection as well. He missed a block on the Rodgers sack on the second to last series when the Jets had an opportunity to take the lead.

Allen fared much better, toting the ball eight times for 34 yards, a 4.3 yard average. That’s the beauty of having two dynamic running backs on the roster. You can ride the hot hand, or in the case, simply avoid the cold one. Hall will bounce back, I have no doubt, but Sunday simply wasn’t his day.

The Jets offense all but abandoned the run-game in favor of their 40-year-old quarterback. They ran straight drop back passes on third and one including on the goal line when the Jets had a chance to go up big early on. A play where it seemed the only viable receiving option on a team that is supposedly filled with them was Solomon Thomas.

The Jets offensive run game was failure for the entire game. And their defensive run stopping had failed them when they needed it most. There was little hope going into the game that Bo Nix would be able to beat the Jets defense before the weather became an issue. So, the Broncos were going to rely on the run. And the Jets defense held up. Until it didn’t.

The Broncos had an 11-play, 87-yard drive in the third quarter where they absolutely gashed the Jets on the ground. The drive resulted in a blown coverage touchdown from Bo Nix to Cortland Sutton.

The Jets have had issues with their run defense in the past, and without linebackers C.J. Mosley and Jermaine Johnson, those issues haven’t gone away. Saleh made a point of saying that the team would address the run defense, and it looked like they had against New England and for most of the game against the Broncos, but it let them down when they needed it most and it led to the lone touchdown of the game.

The Jets travel to London this week to take on the surprising Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. For the Jets to have any chance against a good team like Minnesota, they are going to need to fix the run game on both sides of the ball.

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