Braelon Allen Is Starting Again, And The Jets Backfield Is Doing Just Fine

Breece Hall is still nursing a quad injury, which means the Braelon Allen experience is getting another feature presentation for the New York Jets.

Ian Rapoport confirmed Sunday that Allen is slated to start again in the backfield. If you have been paying attention to the Jets over the last month, you know this is less of a downgrade and more of a lateral move into a 235-pound brick wall.

"Ian Rapoport noted Allen has two 100-yard games as a starter, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry."

Allen has already logged two 100-yard games as a starter while averaging nearly five yards a carry. He recently put up 78 rushing yards on 17 carries against the New England Patriots, proving he can handle a bell-cow workload without turning into dust by the fourth quarter.

The Jets offense has plenty of structural issues, but handing the ball to a third-year player who runs like he is actively angry at the turf is not one of them. Head coach Aaron Glenn has been forced to lean on the big back since Hall went down against the Detroit Lions, and Allen has responded by forcing missed tackles and keeping the chains moving while the starter watches in sweatpants.

For anyone staring at the prop markets for this weekend's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Allen's rushing volume is the most predictable thing in New York right now. The sportsbooks know he is getting the rock, so expect those rushing attempt totals to look like a starting pitcher's pitch count.

Hall is officially week-to-week, meaning Allen has at least one more game to prove this backfield belongs to a two-headed monster once everyone is healthy. Until then, expect the Jets to keep feeding the hot hand and hoping he breaks enough tackles to hide the rest of their offensive flaws.