New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
In Week 2, the NY Jets traveled to the country music capital of the world, Nashville, TN, to take on the Tennessee Titans. This game came six days removed from the Jets 32-19 loss against San Francisco in Week 1. In that game, Rodgers threw for just 167 yards before being handing things over to Tyrod Taylor. Breece Hall had a decent game, running for 54 yards, and one touchdown on 16 attempts. The Jets looked to get back on track against a much more beatable opponent in the Titans.
Sunday’s game, unfortunately, was still not the Jets’ best. Against a team like Tennessee, this is one of the games on their schedule they could have dominated and built themselves back up. This game came right down to the very end. Fortunately, the Jets were able to hold on and win the game, 24-17. This didn’t come easy, though, as the Titans drove right down the field and almost scored to tie the game with 20 seconds left. So, who were the three players who led the NY Jets to victory?
Coming into this game, Rodgers was hoping to get back on track. Despite not being his best today, it can be said that Rodgers did accomplish that. Rodgers finished the day completing 18 out of his 30 passes. He threw for 177 yards, and two touchdowns. Rodgers found rookie Braelon Allen for a 12-yard touchdown pass at the end of the second quarter to tie the game up at seven a piece. Unfortunately, the Titans would march down the field and take a 10-7 lead before the half.
The Jets opened up the third quarter with another big score. This time, Rodgers found Breece Hall for a 26-yard touchdown to give them the 14-10 lead. The Jets never looked back after this. Leading 14-10, the Jets would go up 17-10 and ultimately won 24-17. This was a solid game for the Jets’ Hall-of-Fame quarterback. It may have taken him some time, but Rodgers is beginning to find a groove with just about all of his receivers, and yes, that even includes Allen Lazard.
Last week, Brandin Echols had a quiet game on the stat sheet. He had a goose egg in just about every category, and he was relatively silent. In a position that is dominated by Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed for the Jets, the cornerback room is pretty quiet otherwise. However, Echols picked it up a lot this week in Reed’s absence and was seemingly the catalyst in the Jets’ Week 2 win against the Titans, especially after making one of the game’s biggest plays.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Jets looked defeated. Being down 7-0 to the Titans can do that to you. However, Echols picked off Will Levis and fully changed the Jets’ momentum going forward. Echols’s interception led to Rodgers’s first touchdown pass to Allen, which started all of the scoring for Gang Green. After being down 7-0, the Jets never looked back. Echols massive interception changed all of the momentum, which is why he more than deserves to be on this list.
The NY Jets running back room is led by Breece Hall and will be for the foreseeable future. However, that doesn’t mean that other running backs won’t get a chance on the team. Just ask Braelon Allen. Allen, who was drafted by the Jets in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft, came into this season with low expectations. After all, Hall is the clear-cut RB1. However, this game will forever be known as Allen’s breakout game and it’s easy to see why.
After his receiving touchdown in the second quarter, Allen was not finished yet. Allen broke through for a 20-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter which ultimately won the Jets the game. Allen finished this game with 32 rushing yards on seven carries and 23 receiving yards on two receptions. More importantly, Allen picked up two out of the three Jets’ touchdowns and ultimately won them the game. This was a massive game for Allen, and he showed up and showed out, more than earning his spot on this list.