The Jets play the 49ers in Week One on Monday Night Football, and Jets running back Breece Hall says that gives him the opportunity to show he belongs on the same field with the NFL’s best.
The best, according to Hall, is 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, and Hall sees opening the season against McCaffrey as an opportunity to show the football world that Hall is an elite running back too.
“It’s on me,” Hall said of raising his game this year, via the New York Post. “I feel like right now McCaffrey’s the best in the league. To me, he sets the standard. We’re going to see him in Week One. . . . It’s exciting just to see where I stand and really let everyone see my full talent now that I’m healthy.”
Hall was off to a great start in his rookie year in 2022 before suffering a torn ACL in his seventh game. He returned to play all 17 games in 2023, but he said the knee was affecting him for much of the season. Now, Hall says, he’s fully prepared to show off everything he can do.
“I’ve gotten better this offseason. I’m a lot leaner. I feel a lot healthier. My knee feels a lot better. I just feel like I’m back to my old self,” he said.
Hall also said a healthy Aaron Rodgers will transform not just the Jets’ passing game, but also their running game.
“It will take a lot of pressure off me,” Hall said. “I won’t have to go against as many one-high boxes. I’m going to go against a lot of two-high boxes, which creates more space for me to work with. People aren’t going to be able to just sit in one-high because Aaron’s going to dice them up. I’m excited for sure.”