Breece Hall was in a rut.
A monthlong slump stretched into a second one.
His 7.17 yards per carry from the opening four weeks dipped to 2.39 across the past six.
His recovery from last season’s torn ACL was followed by an ankle injury that made him questionable for Sunday.
Dalvin Cook, at times, was the more effective Jets running back.
But after Sunday’s 30-6 win over the Texans, head coach Robert Saleh didn’t hesitate when describing the role Hall possesses — which featured a season-best eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, along with 10 carries for 40 yards — on an offense that finally found a flow in the second half.
Cook got the start, but Saleh cautioned Hall has been “dealing with a few things” and the Jets wanted to be careful.
“This is Breece’s team and he’s a star running back,” Saleh said, “but at the same time, we’re just trying to be smart with him.”
Hall agreed with Saleh.
He’ll always “take pride” in that, he said.
And during their 30-point outburst in the second half, Hall accounted for 77 of his yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.
He provided an option for Zach Wilson to pivot toward when the Jets’ other routes didn’t lead to throwing lanes.
“What a great safety valve, right?” Wilson said. “You get it to him at 2 to 3 yards, he’ll take it for 40.”
Hall topped 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time since Week 5, and the 86 reception yards marked his most since Oct. 9, 2022 against the Dolphins — when 79 of his 100 occurred on one catch. This time, he didn’t have the massive gain.
They were smaller chunks of yards strung together. Twenty-five on one.
Twenty-seven on another.
On the latter, which occurred early in the fourth quarter, Hall slipped out of the backfield and through the offensive line before he turned to Wilson, collecting the ball and racing upfield — mostly untouched down the right sideline.
Saleh said he’s “ultra-hard to tackle and ultra-hard to contain” when running with purpose.
Strides in the running game still haven’t followed, and some of that could stem from the Jets starting their 10th different offensive line combination.
Hall noticed signs of a spark for that unit in the second half, though.
But for at least one week, there was progress in the passing game. Hall, finally, had a rhythm again.
“I’ve always prided myself on that the whole season,” Hall said about his receiving, “and [offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett did a good job of just scheming stuff up to get me to the flats and get me one-on-ones with linebackers and stuff.
“Because when they see me with the ball in my hand, they hesitate a little bit to where I can make them miss and get some yards.”
Read more
