Coming off a second-half collapse against the Raiders last Sunday, the Jets hit the road to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium with a 2-6 record and their season all but lost at this point.

Injuries have been an issue all season for the Jets, which have kept them from being at full strength and forced them to test their depth chart each week.

While that's not an excuse for the poor coaching and lackluster defensive play so far, it has been a prevailing theme since the season began and has continued this week with some key players finding themselves on the injury report once again.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Chiefs due to a concussion. But running back Breece Hall appears set to return from a five-game absence due to a quad injury after ESPN's Rich Cimini noted in Thursday's injury report that Hall "practices fully for the first time since his injury and later said he will play Sunday."

While head coach Aaron Glenn has insisted that both Hall and Braelon Allen will play in Sunday's game, it remains to be seen how much of a workload Hall will have as he returns to the field amid what has been a breakout season for Allen.

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich seemingly made it clear that the Jets plan to use both RBs instead of exploring a trade for their RB1, but his return from injury should not take away from what Allen has accomplished in his absence.

With back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and three of the five games Hall has missed, it could prove costly for Gang Green if Allen is not the lead back amid Hall's return, at least for another week as the latter gets back up to speed.

There is no reason for Braelon Allen to take a back seat to Breece Hall

Before the 2025 season, Allen only had three rushing touchdowns and had never rushed for more than 55 yards in a single game. While he has two rushing TDs in the five games without Hall, Allen has equaled his previous number of scores on the ground in eight games this season and has had at least 14 carries in each of the last five games.

Even more impressive, Allen's 5.0 yards per carry are considerably better than Hall's (3.2), albeit in five more games. Pro Football Focus paints an even bigger picture, giving Allen the eighth-best overall grade (82.4) and sixth-best rushing grade (85.6) out of 45 qualified RBs in the league.

Something else to keep an eye on is Wilson's absence from the WR room and the impact it could have on the depth at that position. While Reich's inability to consistently get his WR1 touches has been a recurring issue, the recent returns from rookie Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell should still give quarterback Geno Smith some trusty options downfield. We also shouldn't rule out Hall's potential usage in that area.

Allen and RB3 Isaiah Davis have a combined 149 yards on 22 receptions this season. Hall has had a much greater impact in the pass game with 198 catches, 1,744 yards, and nine TDs in 59 career games, including 10 catches on as many targets for 102 yards this season. Hall already faces more pressure to perform after the Wilson news, but this could be the ideal way to ease him back into things in an area he has excelled in more than Allen.

Why Braelon Allen should remain RB1 amid Breece Hall's return

It is hard to ignore the explosiveness Allen has shown in Hall's absence and how impactful his physical downhill style of play between the tackles has given this offense a nice balance that has proven to be hard to contain at times. Look no further than the fact that they scored on each of their first six drives in the Week 8 loss to Las Vegas, which was a huge improvement from the slow starts they have gotten off to earlier this season.

It seems like Hall is likely to stay around in Gotham as the trade deadline looms on Tuesday, especially with $14.5 million and $15.5 million cap hits in 2026 and 2027, respectively, but regardless of how everything plays out between now and then, it would be a huge mistake if the Jets pivot away from Allen in favor of Hall, considering how productive he has been.

If anything, this could be a case of workload management as Hall returns to full strength and potentially splits carries with Allen while being a solid contributor in the passing game. Hall has not forgotten how to play, but Allen's emergence should be enough to keep him as the lead back for at least another week as Hall makes his long-awaited return.