With RB Breece Hall sidelined for the past three games with a quad injury, Braelon Allen has embraced and excelled as the Jets' lead tailback.
"That's something that we've talked about ever since [Allen]'s taken over as the starting running back," HC Aaron Glenn said during his Monday morning press conference. "He's showing that he has the capability of being the bell cow, and it's good to have another guy on our team.
"You know, especially when Breece comes back that he [Allen] can actually handle a load like that because now you can make sure you can share those responsibilities as far as giving those guys the ball, knowing that Breece is our starter. I mean, I think Braelon did an outstanding job coming in and I mean really running the ball as hard as he is, trusting the O-line as far as where the holes are going to be, and I think that speaks for itself."
Allen's performance, particularly in the past two games -- against Cleveland and at New England on Sunday, -- speaks volumes about the performance and commitment of the third-year player.
In the 26-19 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, Allen had 4 rushes of 10-plus yards, which ups his total to 9 over the past two weeks. He joins rarified company in Curtis Martin and Chris Ivory as the only Jets RBs with 9-plus runs of at least 10 yards over two weeks since 1991.
In the game, Allen had 17 carries for 78 yards (4.6 per) of the Jets' 97 rush yards and 2 receptions for 26 yards. On one of those catches, the powerful 6-1, 235-pound Allen flattened New England safety Craig Woodson after catching a pass from QB Geno Smith and completed a 16-yard pass play into Patriots' territory.
"He stepped up," said TE Mason Taylor. "He stepped up in a major role with Breece being down. I knew he was capable of that as well. I mean, we have so many playmakers on this offense. He's been doing a hell of a job running the ball, protecting the ball, and it just shows every Sunday."
Allen, 22, topped 100 yards from scrimmage in two straight games, and his 220 total yards are the ninth-most in the NFL and fifth-most among running backs this season. He currently leads the Jets' ground attack with 314 yards (4.2 per) on 74 carries and 2 TDs. In the past two weeks, Allen has 41 carries for 194 yards (4.7 per) and has forced 12 missed tackles.
Hustle and Punches
Generating turnovers on defense has been a top priority for HC Aaron Glenn and his players. On Sunday at New England, the Patriots fumbled three times and the Jets came away with two of them -- punchouts by rookie edge David Bailey and veteran LB Jamien Sherwood.
"It's definitely an emphasis for us," S Dane Belton said. "Obviously, turnover margin is a huge dictator and a swinger for winning games, and that's our focus on the defense. The two main focuses are to limit points and get the ball back to the offense. So if we can do both it's awesome. So it's definitely a focus. Obviously, you see the guys working at it. Even in the times where we don't get it out, guys are going to the ground, we're punching at it."
Bailey, who leads the defense with 5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, never gave up as Patriots RB TreyVon Henderson ran for 6 yards in the third quarter with the Jets down by a TD. He punched the ball out of Henderson's grasp and Sherwood fell on it on the New England 36. The Jets' drive stalled after moving to the New England 10-yard line and Jason Sanders converted a 36-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 4 points.
Bailey is the only NFL player with 30-plus total tackles (since they were officially tracked since 1994), 5.0-plus sacks, and a forced fumble through six career games. He has also drawn 4 holding calls by the offense, tied for most in the league.
Sherwood, who played perhaps the strongest game, chased down WR DeMario Douglas after a 39-yard reception from QB Drake Maye and punched out the ball, which was recovered by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Sherwood motored more than 40 yards to make the signature play.
"That speaks to who we are as a defense and who he is as a player," Belton said, referring to Sherwood. "I feel like the play is never dead until you know the guy hits the ground. So for us seeing that was awesome, especially like in that situation."
