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Breece Hall, Braelon Allen rushing yards in Jets vs. Patriots

Vaseline September 20, 2024

The New York Jets did something they hadn’t done in nine years on “Thursday Night Football,” defeating the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.

The Jets crushed their division rival in a 24-3 rout that was as one-sided as the scoreboard indicates. Aaron Rodgers enjoyed what was easily his best performance with the Jets, completing 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns while consistently leading New York down the field.

New York also played strong against New England, but that didn’t stop NFL fans and fantasy football enthusiasts from noticing an interesting trend.

Rookie Braelon Allen was heavily involved in the Jets’ running game. And not just after the game had turned into a punishing one. He routinely out-rebounded Breece Hall throughout the game, even outscoring his vaunted counterpart by a yard.

Here’s what you need to know about the Jets’ carry split and whether it’s a one-week anomaly or a sign of things to come.

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Breece Hall stats vs. Braelon Allen stats

Breece Hall stats vs Patriots

Wears: 16
Running yards: 54
Rushing TD’s: 1
Receptions: 4
Yards Received: 29

Braelon Allen stats vs Patriots

Wears: 11
Running yards: 55
Rushing TD’s: 0
Receptions: 3
Yards Received: 13

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Both Hall and Allen saw significant action in the Jets’ Week 3 win over the Patriots, though Hall was still the clear backfield leader for the Jets. He played 52 of the Jets’ 73 offensive snaps in the blowout, compared to Allen’s 23 snaps. Isaiah Davis was the only other running back to play; he got three snaps in the fourth quarter of the 21-point win.

While Hall’s snap disparity is large, it’s worth noting that Hall outscored Allen by just 20-14 during the game. That meant Allen touched the ball on 60.9% of his snaps, an impressively high figure. For comparison, Hall’s usage rate was 38.5%.

Allen was also more efficient with his carries than Hall against the Patriots. Allen averaged 5 yards per carry, while Hall put up a below-average 3.4 yards per tote. Allen’s averages weren’t helped by any outliers either, as his longest carry was just 11 yards.

All in all, Allen ran with good power all night, ripping off some impressive runs against a solid Patriots defense. It was a nice follow-up to his two-touchdown performance in Week 2 and should instill confidence in the Jets’ coaching staff that he’s ready for a bigger role despite being the youngest player in the NFL.

Jets RBs fantasy outlook: What to think of Breece Hall vs. Braelon Allen

Should fantasy owners have similar confidence in Allen? And is it time for Hall’s fantasy football managers to panic?

Probably not.

Allen’s snap percentage didn’t change much from Week 2 to Week 3. He played 35% of the snaps against the Titans, but only saw action on 31.5% of the snaps in Week 3. That percentage may have dropped in the blowout, but it’s also unlikely to improve significantly in a more competitive game — barring an injury to Hall.

Additionally, it’s unrealistic to expect Allen to get the ball on 60.9% of his snaps each week. The Jets clearly had a plan to get Allen to score in Week 3, and it helped that they had the lead and were able to run regularly throughout the game.

Perhaps the Jets had planned to give both Allen and Hall significant touches due to the short week. Either way, that type of 14-touch volume can’t be taken for granted by Allen managers, especially in games where the Jets trail, as Hall remains the favored pass-catching back.

Allen, then, looks more like a high-end fantasy handcuff. If Hall misses time with an injury, Allen could develop into a legitimate, high-volume starting running back. Until then, he retains his flex potential as a touchdown-reliant option.