Breece Hall has brought it to the Commanders with multiple touchdowns in the New York Jets’ first-half explosion
New York Jets fans who wanted one more win at MetLife Stadium this year have received it so far from Breece Hall. The young running back added an exclamation point to his already impressive resumé of elite plays with an acrobatic score.
THAT'S TOUGH.@BreeceH | #ProBowlVote#WASvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/0WSFJ3sKBZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 24, 2023
Behind two first-quarter touchdowns (after scoring only one all season) and another epic effort from Hall, the Jets have taken a 27-7 lead into the halftime break against the Washington Commanders in their 2023-24 home finale. Set up by brilliant field position thanks to a Tony Adams interception and a blocked punt, the Jets enjoyed six-point scores from Jason Brownlee (the first of his career) and Hall in the first period before the latter earned another on the penultimate of the half.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. earned the lone score for the equally woebegone Commanders.
Jets (27)
PASSING: Trevor Siemian (15-of-26, 131 yards, 1 TD)
RUSHING: Breece Hall (13 carries, 83 yards, 2 TD)
RECEIVING: Garrett Wilson (8 rec., 65 yards)
Commanders (7)
PASSING: Sam Howell (5-of-17, 51 yards, 1 INT)
RUSHING: Chris Rodriguez Jr. (4 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD)
RECEIVING: Terry McLaurin (2 rec., 21 yards)
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
Those who advocate for the fruitless exercise of tanking are no doubt peeved by this effort, but what the Jets have accomplished over the first half-hour is rather inspiring after last week’s no-show across the board in Miami. The 30-0 defeat, suffered with a slim hope of both the playoff and an Aaron Rodgers return on the line, was perhaps the most damning sign of Robert Saleh and Co.’s tenure yet, a completely listless showing with a sliver of potential redemption on the line.
With management offering Saleh’s group a vote of confidence, however, it’s inspiring to see them take advantage of opportunities and play for each other, even if there’s nothing of value on the line.
What, Like It’s Hard?
Thrown into the fires of a South Beach shutout last week, Trevor Siemian has responded well to emergency starting duties this week. He took advantage of brilliant field position early in the game and kept things mostly conservative over the first half-hour. As a career understudy (except for the short period when he was Peyton Manning’s successor in Denver), Siemian could be playing for his NFL career this week and next.
Hall of Fame
An underrated subplot of these otherwise meaningless final hours could be Hall proving himself to management. Hall is still another year away from potentially awkward contract negotiations in the current rushing landscape, but Sunday’s game has offered glimpses of the explosive, yard-gaining Hall the Jets were getting when they made him the first running back chosen in the 2022 draft. Efforts like the early play on Sunday hint that he could be an investment well worth making.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
