At 1-3, the New York Jets are desperate for a victory in Week 5. They will be heading on the road to play against the Denver Broncos, a team that they have some added motivation to perform against after offseason comments made by Sean Payton about offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.
Despite losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, the Jets are coming into this matchup with some momentum. After falling into a 17-0 hole early on, they clawed their way back, making the game competitive but ultimately losing 23-20.
Moral victories don’t count for much, but for this team with Zach Wilson under center, it does mean something. If he can play near the level in which he did against the Chiefs, and a 17-0 hole is avoided, the Jets will win some games.
It will also help that he will have his best running back available for a full allotment of snaps. Jets head coach Robert Saleh issued a warning to the rest of the NFL when he announced that Breece Hall is no longer on a pitch count and is ready to be fully unleashed.
“There is no pitch count with him anymore,” Saleh said. “We’d love to get him going, but at the same time we’ve got a lot of guys that we want to get the ball to.” (H/T Heavy)
Hall tore his ACL last season in Week 7 last season and has been working his way back. Coincidentally, it was also on the road against the Broncos, making this weekend’s matchup a full-circle moment for him as it is the first time he will be cleared for a full workload.
This couldn’t have come at a better time for the Jets. Hall has been excellent on his limited touches thus far this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, which is best in the NFL amongst players with at least 30 carries this season.
A big-play machine, Hall receiving a bulk of the work out of the backfield will be a boost to the Jets’ offense. Dalvin Cook has looked like a shell of himself, offering very little as he has been in a near 50/50 split with Hall to this point.
