Playing without Breece Hall in the second half of the game, the New York Jets defeated the Denver Broncos 16-9 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to four games.
Hall left the game in the first half due to a knee injury after Patrick Surtain II and Jonas Griffith tackled him down in the second quarter. Then, he was carted out to the locker room.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said the initial diagnosis was an ACL tear, which means he would be sidelined for the rest of this season.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Saleh said. “I’m going to stay as optimistic as I can, but yeah, he’s a heck of a football player.”
Hall is a Jets playmaker. He leads the team with 463 yards and four touchdowns on 80 attempts this season. In the game against the Broncos, he gained 72 yards on four carries and a touchdown. His 62-yard touchdown was the Jets’ only touchdown of the game.
“He’s a heck of a football player,” Saleh said about Hall. “Whenever you lose great football players, it’s never good.”
Saleh also said that there were still a lot of opportunities for the Jets rookies.
“We also have a lot of faith in Ty Johnson, in Michael Carter and Bam (Zonova) Knight as a rookie as he will get his opportunities,” the 43-year-old coach said. “There are still a lot of opportunities for guys on our team and will be a big part of us moving forward.”
Turnovers? Oh yeah, we love those.#NYJvsDEN on CBS pic.twitter.com/UIN8lEhqE9
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 23, 2022
Jets struggling with injuries
The Jets have been plagued by injuries this year. Both Alijah Vera-Tucker (elbow) and r Corey Davis (knee) did not finish Sunday’s game and will be evaluated on Monday.
New York lost right tackle Mekhi Becton last season due to an avulsion fracture in his right kneecap. Then, during the Jets’ preseason opener, starting quarterback Zach Wilson suffered a bone bruise and meniscus injury, sidelining him for seven weeks.
Becton substitute Duane Brown suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve. He was out for the first four weeks of the season. Later, the Jets also placed George Fant (knee) and Max Mitchell (knee) on the list.
The situation was even worse after wide receiver Elijah Moore became upset about his role in the Jets’ offense. He was left at home and didn’t participate in the game against the Broncos.
That being said, the team continued to win games despite their lack of consistency. The Jets improved to 5-2 and recorded their fourth consecutive win, their best start since 2010.
Next game against Patriots
The Jets will play the New England Patriots in their next game. The team has not defeated Bill Belichick and the Patriots since 2015. Last season, the Jets were dominated and outscored 79-19 in both meetings against New England.
“We can talk about the past all we want and you can say that about 90% of the teams we played have had our number,” defensive end John Franklin-Myers said. “This is not the same team as last year. Everyone is a little bit more comfortable.
“We have to go out there — and New England Patriots are a good team, but we are a good team also. So that’s how we think about it.”