Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen tough to bring down in preseason win over Commanders

Braelon Allen needed a few carries to get his feet under him and into a rhythm. When he did, the bruising rookie running back made his presence felt in a big way.

Allen sparked the Jets’ first touchdown drive in their 20-17 preseason victory over the Washington Commanders on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. He carried the ball three straight times in the second quarter for 16, 5 and 24 yards.

When the 6-foot, 235-pound Allen gets going downhill, he’s hard to stop.

“The more carries I get, I feel like the stronger I get,” Allen said. “My last few carries, I was able to impose my will a little bit and start to get into the flow of things.”

Allen, the Jets’ fourth-round pick, finished with 54 yards rushing on six carries in a game the Jets won on Austin Seibert’s 37-yard field goal with 21 seconds left.

Breece Hall will be the Jets’ main back in the regular season and the offense will go through him often. But Allen, 20, the youngest player in the NFL, is showing he can be an impactful contributor in the revamped running back room.

“He didn’t disappoint when he got to the second level,” Robert Saleh said. “It’s painful to just touch the human. He’s a very heavy runner. It was really cool to see him run through people.”

Hall did not play on Saturday as most of the starters, including Aaron Rodgers, on both sides of the ball were given the day off. Allen led a running back group that totaled 97 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving.

Rookie Isaiah Davis had four catches for 33 yards. Second-year player Izzy Abanikanda had a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“We love that running back room,” Saleh said. “It’s come a long way since the first year we were here. We feel we got some legitimate runners all the way across the board.”

Allen has been the most impressive back not named Hall in practice, and it carried over to the Jets’ first preseason game.

Second-year center Joe Tippmann, who blocked for Allen at Wisconsin, said it’s been “awesome” to see him start his NFL career the way he has.

“In practice, he’s not going to run through our teammates and do his style of running,” Tippmann said. “For him to actually do it out there and show it on the field, it was special, and it was great to be able to see that again. That’s definitely something that will definitely help with his confidence, too.”

Tippmann’s snaps

Tippmann was the only projected Week 1 starter on offense to play. Saleh said it wasn’t because he had issues with high snaps in training camp; it’s because he is young and needs reps.

Tippmann played only two series and didn’t have any high snaps. He said he was going through “some growing pains” because he has “a bigger workload” this year, and he believes he’s worked through the problems.

“I think they’ve gotten a lot better,” Tippmann said. “I’ve really been able to hold them down there and get them back there. That came with a lot of hard work, working with the quarterbacks, working with my coaches in the O-line room. I feel like we’re in a good place.”

Tippmann, who was sporting a shiner under his left eye, said he took a finger to the eye. It likely happened during the Jets’ skirmish in practice on Tuesday.

“Could have been,” Tippmann said with a laugh.

Extra points

Tyrod Taylor started at quarterback, played two series and was unable to move the football. He finished 1-for-2 for minus-1 yard and was sacked once. Two penalties marred the first series. One was a false start by rookie first-round pick Olu Fashanu on his second snap.

Adrian Martinez, who is battling for the Jets’ third-string quarterback job with Andrew Peasley, led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. He was 6-for-10 passing for 104 yards and rushed for 24 yards on two carries. Brandon Smith caught two of those passes for 70 yards.

Peasley completed 8 of 11 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. He hit Jason Brownlee with a perfectly placed fade pass for a 12-yard score in the second quarter to tie it at 7-7.

Greg Zuerlein kicked a 56-yard field goal to end the first half.

Rookie receiver Malachi Corley caught four passes for 27 yards. He also returned a kickoff for 33 yards but misplayed a punt.

Defensive end Will McDonald, last year’s first-round pick, didn’t register a stat despite playing much of the first half. He was called for roughing the passer for a hit on Washington quarterback Jeff Driskel after an impressively quick spin move. The Commanders were flagged for a personal foul on the same play, so the down was replayed.

Washington scored on its opening drive as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels ran it in from 3 yards out. Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, was 2-for-3 passing for 45 yards on his only series.

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.