Jets' Breece Hall is getting the ball . . . and doing good things with it

Breece Hall has done something the Jets haven’t been able to do as a team. As the season has worn on, he has gotten stronger, better and more resilient.

The Jets did little right in Thursday’s 37-20 loss in Cleveland, but getting Hall involved early and often was a good move. That hasn’t been the case often enough this season for an offense that is one of the worst in the NFL.

Hall totaled 126 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown Thursday against the NFL’s No. 1 defense. The versatile second-year back has led the Jets in catches the last two games.

“He’s a threat every time he touches the ball,” Robert Saleh said during a Zoom call on Friday morning. “He’s doing an awesome job. He’s doing an awesome job out of the backfield running the ball. He’s doing an unbelievable job with route-running and catching the ball and getting vertical. He’s a mismatch for sure.”

It begs the question: Why haven’t the Jets been able to use Hall like that all season?

There have been many reasons  why the Jets are 6-10 and out of playoff contention for the 13th consecutive year. Losing Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, the overall quarterback play, injuries on the offensive line and penalties that kill drives have been the main explanation for the Jets’ offensive struggles.

In Hall, the Jets have a weapon who can play all three downs and in any kind of weather and situation, yet he hasn’t had 100 yards rushing in 11 straight games. He also went seven in a row without 100 scrimmage yards despite his dual-threat capabilities.

The Jets have made sure Hall has been the focal point lately, and he has looked more like the player he was before suffering an ACL tear last season. Hall has had at least 126 scrimmage yards in three of the last four games, including 191 last Sunday against Washington. He’s averaging 19.8 touches and 115.3 yards in that time.

“This whole season has been frustrating,” Hall said. “I’m motivated every week. I worked my [expletive] off this offseason to come back. I expect to be one of the best in the league and I couldn’t really show that the whole season.”

Hall is showing it now and he’s doing it with defenses knowing they have to key on him. He leads all running backs with 74 catches and 579 yards and is tied for third with four receiving touchdowns.

“I do think he’s improved so much in terms of not being satisfied,” Saleh said. “Take what the defense gives and your athleticism will do the rest. He is lowering his shoulder. He is getting vertical. He is being opportunistic in terms of finding the lanes, a clearer space to run though.

“He’s been doing an awesome job, an awesome job the last few weeks. He looks awesome and hopefully continues to get better.”

Under center

Saleh wasn’t ready to name his starting quarterback for next week’s season finale in New England. A safe bet is it will be Trevor Siemian because Zach Wilson remains in the concussion protocol. The Jets are expected to move on from Wilson after the season.

“We’ll see where he’s at,” Saleh said. “He’ll definitely be part of the discussion. We just need to get him healthy first.”

'Alarming' situation

The Jets have been flagged for 33 penalties in the last three games and now lead the NFL, averaging 7.7 per game. Saleh said it’s “an alarming thing” how many of them are pre-snap penalties and that it “starts with us as coaches, whether it’s our wording, our verbiage, our pace in and out of the huddle, our attention to detail, all of that.”

'Freakish' player

Jermaine Johnson made a terrific play Thursday, batting Joe Flacco's pass in the air, picking it off and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown.

“You got to be a freak to be able to do something like that,” Saleh said. “Freakish athletes make freakish plays, and he’s definitely one of those.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.