Breece Hall has a bit of Broadway in him. Asked after his performance in strong support of the Jets' 23-10 win at Tennessee on Sunday, he talked a bit about his injury hiatus before returning in time for the NFL's opening-day theater.
"It was a good little vacation," Hall said with a sly smile. "I got to watch the guys practice, see stuff from a fan's point of view. It was cool to have some time off. But it was even better to get back around the guys."
And when he returned, was his game affected? Not at all.
"At the end of the day, I'm just out there trying to win," he said, "and be the best Breece Hall I can be."
This threat actor was pretty dangerous in the heat of Music City. Hall's 100-yard rushing game and third-quarter stroll to a touchdown were only the surface statistics.
Hall began his day by revealing one layer of Breece and Jets history after another. It all began (after his "very good two-week vacation") on the game's first offensive play, when Hall took Geno Smith's handoff and strode off right tackle for 4 yards.
That little carry lifted No. 20 past John Riggins on several career yards-from-scrimmage lists. Hall, who began the day at 5,040 YFS for his career, rose past Riggins' 5,042 and into 13th for most YFS in a Jets career and eighth for most YFS by a back in a Jets career. But the neatest ladder climb may have been his going from fourth to third on the franchise's list for most career yards from scrimmage by a back in his first 5 Jets seasons. As usual, Hall moves higher into elite company. The leaders:
| Jets RB | 5-Year Span | Scrimmage Yds |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Curtis Martin | 1998-2002 | 8,376 |
| 2. Freeman McNeil | 1981-85 | 5,715 |
| 3. Breece Hall | 2022-26 (current) | 5,142 |
| 4. John Riggins | 1971-75 | 5,042 |
But Breece was only getting warmed up.
The rushing yardage list is the big list, and Hall continues to attack it with fervor. He needed 50 yards at the Titans to climb into the top 10 on the rush list. He had already passed Shonn Greene (3,423 yards) to move into 11th. And on the play after he scored his 19th career rushing touchdown on a 4-yard jaunt to the left pylon, Hall went off for a pair of third-quarter 12-yard runs. On the first, he surpassed Adrian Murrell (3,447) and into the Jets' career top 10.
On the day, Hall met one more Jets legend on a few more lists. Having just begun his fifth Green & White season, Hall wound up with his 10th 100-yard rushing game and his 20th game of 100 scrimmage yards, making him the first Jets back to get that many triple-digit games in both categories since Thomas Jones in 2009.
All of this stat chatter pales in significance to what Hall and Braelon Allen's ballcarrying meant to the Jets' effort in the opener. The Jets rushed for 152 yards on the game, at a tame 3.9 yards/carry but always moving forward — Hall had no minus plays among his 24 touches and the Jets picked up a healthy 11 rushing first downs.
Four of them came on that monster 19-play, 11:48 drive to a field goal and a 10-3 lead early in the second. Fifteen of those 18 offensive plays on that drive (No. 19 was the FG) were rushing plays. Nine of those runs and a reception were by Hall.
"Coach [OC Frank Reich] called a great game," said Smith, who added that those 15 running plays on that long drive "to me just speaks volumes about the type of offensive line that we have, to us setting the tone up front against a really good defensive line. I thought we neutralized them in that aspect and that allowed us to play clean throughout the game."
As the afternoon wore on, Hall looked the freshest among the game's backs and the Jets had the fresher and cleaner of the play despite the heat and the Titans defense. That bodes well for the acts that are to follow in the team's suddenly promising season, especially for the running game being powered by Hall, Allen and Isaiah Davis. Hall was greatly appreciative of his supporting cast, which he credits with allowing him to come back strong from that groin injury/vacay.
"The guys we've got, Kene Nwangwu, Braelon, Isaiah, they're good football players on their own," he said when asked if he had any concerns about his injury. "Having guys like them to take the stress off me is always good. But I feel I can do whatever I need to do for us to win."
And in all the lines of the Jets' winning script Sunday, that bottom line is the most important.
