Over the past two weeks, the New York Jets have struggled to get the running game going. The team’s passing attack has picked up the slack, but the ground game was expected to be a huge part of the Jets’ offense this season.
Now, as they prepare for their Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears, the running game will be even more at a disadvantage without Breece Hall due to a quad issue.
Former Day 3 picks Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis are under pressure to fill the void.
Jets’ running game is in a rough spot
This is the risk that teams take by going into the season without a proven RB2. Now, with Hall’s early-season injury, which luckily doesn’t look to be severe, Allen and Davis are going to be relied upon to take on important roles, at least on Sunday.
Through three games this season, Allen has logged 19 rushing attempts, generating 61 yards (3.2 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. His 3.2 yards per carry rank 50th among 63 RBs with at least 10 attempts this season, and he is one of 10 backs in that group who have not had a single carry go for 10+ yards.
Then there’s Isaiah Davis. He has historically been much more efficient than Allen, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt on 73 career touches along with two touchdowns. However, he hasn’t played a single offensive snap this season. Now, he seems in line to get a significant number of touches.
It doesn’t stop there. The Jets will also be without guard Dylan Parham, who has easily been the team’s best run-blocker this season and arguably the best overall offensive lineman on the team. For an offensive line that has already struggled to block the run, losing its top chip in that facet will be a tough blow.
To put the blocking struggles into perspective, Hall totaled just 15 yards before contact from Weeks 2-3 against the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. That comes out to just 0.52 yards before contact per attempt.
That is a tough situation for any running back. If the Jets struggled to spring Hall loose, even with Parham out there, how are they expected to find success with Allen, Davis, and no Parham?
However, an interesting conundrum remains. Not many teams in the NFL have struggled to stop the run like the Chicago Bears this season.
Through three games this year, Chicago ranks 28th in run defense DVOA and 31st in rushing yards allowed per attempt (5.1). So, if there is any opponent the Jets can bounce back against rushing-wise, it’s the Bears.
This is very favorable for New York, but at the end of the day, it’s up to Allen, Davis, and the Jets’ blockers. Allen hasn’t particularly flashed this season beyond his Week 1 touchdown, and Davis hasn’t played a snap.
Davis deserves a legitimate chance, and it looks like he will get that on Sunday. His efficiency has been pretty impressive over two seasons, although over a small sample size.
Ultimately, though, the offensive line has to give both backs a legitimate chance to work. Over the past two weeks, the Jets’ running backs have usually had nowhere to go before being hit.
Nobody expects Allen and Davis to fill Hall’s shoes, but against a defense that has struggled to stop the run, it will be important for them to be at least serviceable, preventing the Jets’ offense from becoming one-dimensional.
