If there’s one thing I could get used to it’s the sight of the ‘Killer B’s’ taking over and powering the Jets to victory, which is exactly what happened on Sunday as the Jets silenced ‘Music City’ and got their season up and running with a tough 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans. 

It’s a well known fact that the Jets have both the NFL’s oldest (sorry Aaron) and youngest player (Braelon) in the NFL. At just 20 years old, Allen became the youngest player in NFL history to record two touchdowns from scrimmage in a single game. The expectation is he’s only just getting started this season. 

During the preseason, Breece Hall compared Allen to Derrick Henry: “Braelon’s just like his own beast, like, he’s really big, he’s athletic, he can run.” So perhaps it was fitting that his NFL coming out party took place on the same field as the Titans legendary running back. Henry may be plying his trade in Baltimore now, but the punishment he dished out still reverberates around Nissan Stadium. 

For defensive coordinators it’s going to be a case of picking your poison. Especially if the Jets continue to operate with both Hall and Allen in the same backfield, as they did for the first touchdown on Sunday. A beautiful misdirection play that got the ball into the hands of Allen with Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson all climbing to put the key blocks in place. 

Because of Allen’s 235 lb size, it’s easy to pigeon hole him into a certain physical role. Especially when on 3rd and one his number is called and he makes converting look so easy. But his game on Sunday showcased everything about his game. 

The touchdown catch showcases his receiving ability, his burst, and his physicality. The late touchdown run showcased his vision, his decisiveness and his long speed. The 3rd-and-1 conversion showcased his pure power and you feel as though he’ll be asked to do more blocking in the passing game. 

For a lot of draft analysts, it was surprising to see Allen still available in the 4th round. After all, here was a player who stands 6’1 and 245lbs, 19 years of age and coming off a three year college career at Wisconsin where he produced 3,482 yards and 35 touchdowns while rushing at 5.8 yards per attempt. 

If you dig deeper into the numbers, you see 145 missed tackles forced, 2,182 yards after contact and 49 plays which went for 15+ yards. When you combine the kind of physicality that Allen has with plus speed, then you’ve got a problem for opposing defences. 

Braelon’s second touchdown was aesthetically extremely pleasing to the eye for a number of reasons. 

First, it resonated with a Robert Saleh quote following the game: “The run game is always a second-half thing, but in order to make it a second-half thing you have to be able to commit to it in the first half.”

The Jets had a lot of inside runs stuffed on Sunday, that’s what happens when you have a DT combination of Sweat and Simmons both taking on double teams and allowing linebackers and safeties to shoot the gaps. On the second touchdown play you had that happening, but the Jets weren’t targeting the A-gaps. 

Instead, Braelon used his speed and vision to run off-tackle. Take a moment to appreciate the blocking by TE Jeremy Ruckert and WR Allen Lazard on the outside. You’ve also got Morgan Moses sealing the outside by flipping his hips and pinning his man inside. Allen then uses his speed and acceleration to get into the second level, quickly flat-footing the defender and breezing past him. 

Sometimes there are touchdowns that wow you instantly (hat-tip to Calvin Ridley there) but some get better every single time you see it. This touchdown is more than a single play, it’s a culmination of a number of plays, some of which failed. It’s a showcase of what happens when everyone executes. It’s what happens when you have someone special running the football. 

We don’t know what this season is going to have in store for Braelon… but it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch his development.