What goes around comes around: Jets stick it to Payton and the Broncos
Breece Hall explodes as the Jets beat the Broncos, 31-21. Plus, how the Nathaniel Hackett and the Jets got their revenge on Sean Payton.
What’s Up with the Jets? 🛩️
The Jets won their second game of the season, defeating the Broncos by a 31-21 score in Denver (box)
RB Breece Hall went off in his first game without a pitch count this season, carrying the ball 22 times for 177 yards and a touchdown
Hall also had three catches for 17 yards, giving him 194 yards from scrimmage in the win
QB Zach Wilson played a solid game, going 19/26 (73 percent) for 199 yards, no touchdowns and an interception
OT Alijah Vera-Tucker left the game with a calf injury and will undergo an MRI in the next few days, according to Robert Saleh
Despite early speculation, Vera-Tucker is not believed to have an Achilles injury
OL Joe Tippmann exited the game with an injury but could have come back in and should be okay for next week, according to Saleh
OC Nathaniel Hackett wins in his return to Denver after being fired from the Broncos last season and receiving criticism from Sean Payton over the summer
Hackett was named a captain prior to the game and received a game ball after the victory
The Jets offense scored a season-high 22 points on offense and won their first road game since they played in Denver last October
Game Balls 🏈
OFFENSE
🏈 Breece Hall: Breece. Effing. Lightning. Returning to Denver for the first time since tearing his ACL and being “unleashed” for the first time this season, Hall reminded everyone just how dynamic he can be. 22 carries, 177 yards and a touchdown — he is the most explosive player on the Jets offense.
DEFENSE
🏈 Bryce Huff & Bryce Hall: This one goes out to the Bryces. For the second straight week, we had to give the nod to Bryce Huff. He’s just so incredibly disruptive on the defensive edge (one sack, six pressures) and continues to earn more and more snaps each week.
And a major shoutout to Bryce Hall, who most people didn’t think he should still be on this roster, filling in for the injured D.J. Reed. He wasn’t exposed in the secondary as much as you may have expected, and he slammed the door shut in the final minute on a scoop and score touchdown. A great moment for a kid who really deserved it after his effort on Sunday.
Play of the Week 📺
What can you say about Breece Hall, man?
Trailing 13-8 in the third quarter after seeing their offense sputter once again, one of the most explosive running backs in all of football reminded the rest of the league just how dangerous he truly is. Following clean blocks by his offensive line, Hall ripped off a 72-yard run resulting in his first touchdown of his comeback season.
There was a lot of game left to be played afterwards, but the Jets do not win this football game without this play.
For once, the Jets get the last laugh ✍️
You know what? It’s about time the Jets shoved it in someone’s face.
How many times have we seen a team punk the Jets and throw out cheap shots only to beat them anyways? How many times have the Jets been the laughing stock of the league and the butt of everyone’s jokes?
Well, for one Sunday, at least, the Jets are the only ones laughing.
It’s been discussed ad nauseam at this point, but this game was a huge chip on this team’s shoulders after Broncos head coach Sean Payton foolishly decided to open his big mouth over the summer. Even since then, you better believe the Jets had this game circled on their calendars.
“It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL,” Payton told reporters during training camp. “That's how bad it was.”
The Jets took those words seriously at the time, as Aaron Rodgers said in an interview with the NFL Network that Payton should “keep my coach’s name out of your mouth.” And they certainly didn’t forget, either, as an on-field video prior to yesterday’s game shows C.J. Uzomah rallying his teammates.
“Their coach made this shit personal,” Uzomah exclaimed. “Well fuck him and fuck them!”
The Jets certainly took it personal with the way they played, too. It was far from a clean game, got off to a rocky start and had a few hairy moments toward the end, but ultimately the Jets ran out of Denver with a victory. The team looked good in a loss the week prior, so I’m okay with them looking shaky in a win this time around.
Hackett, by the way, now has more wins in Denver this season (1-0) than Sean Payton (0-3). Just sayin’.
It shouldn’t be forgotten, though, that this was the ultimate revenge game for Breece Hall, too, just in a different kind of way.
It was almost exactly one year ago when Hall last played in Denver, where his promising rookie season was taken away from him after he tore his ACL. The Jets also lost Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season in that game, too.
After an inconsistent beginning to his comeback season mostly due to poor run blocking, teams stacking the box and dealing with a “pitch count,” it was announced prior to Sunday’s game that Hall would finally be unleashed. For that pitch count to end in Hall’s return to Denver, coincidental or not, truly is poetic.
And boy did he make a statement. Carrying the ball 22 times, 10 more than he had in any single game this season, and reeling in three catches, Hall put up a monster game with 194 yards from scrimmage (72 of them coming on one explosive run) and his first touchdown of the season. In one game, Breece Hall reminded all of us and the rest of the football world that when he’s right, he is undoubtedly one of the most explosive and dynamic playmakers in this entire league. If he can continue to be that for this Jets team once again this year, they have a puncher’s chance.
Overall, it doesn’t matter how good it looked or how much you thought the Jets should have won by, a win is a win all the same. The Jets were able to pull one out in Denver, not only getting the last laugh on Sean Payton and the Broncos, but also saving their season in the process.
It sure is nice to be on the other side of this for once.
Next Week’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Jets (2-3) vs Eagles (5-0)
Where: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
When: 4:25 PM EDT
Where to Watch: FOX
Around the NFL 🏁
The Bills were unable to overcome an early deficit and lost to the Jaguars by a 25-20 score in London
The 49ers remained undefeated with a 42-10 blowout victory over the Cowboys on Sunday night
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane ran wild for the third consecutive game as Miami beat-up the Giants, 31-16
The Eagles stayed undefeated, as well, thanks to touchdowns from Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert as they beat the Rams by a 23-14 score
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase exploded after a slow start to the season, hauling in 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 34-20 win over the Cardinals
The Patriots hilariously lost 34-0 to the Saints for their third home loss of the season