Breece Hall: Once I got on the field, I was still that dude

Jets running back Breece Hall tore his ACL on October 23 last year and there was some doubt about whether he’d be ready for the start of this season, but Hall was in the backfield for the team’s first offensive snap on Monday night.

Hall got the ball on that play and ran 26 yards to show that he had gas in the tank for his return to action. Attention shifted away from Hall a few plays later when Aaron Rodgers suffered what’s believed to be a season-ending Achilles injury, but he grabbed it back later in the first half.

With the team needing an offensive spark, Hall provided one with an 83-yard run to set up a Greg Zuerlein field goal. Hall admitted to getting “tired” on a run that might have been six points before the injury, but it was still a great sign that Hall has recovered most of his ability in the wake of the injury.

“Once I got on the field, I was like ‘I’m still that dude. Anytime I touch the ball, I can do whatever I want with it.’ I always have that mentality,” Hall said in his postgame press conference.

The Jets wound up winning the game on Xavier Gipson’s walk-off punt return in overtime and their chances of continuing to win without Rodgers will look a lot better if Hall continues to show that he’s the same back who was in the running for rookie of the year through two months of last season.