In fact, Hall’s YFS are third in the AFC and ninth in the NFL. And he’s still second in the league among RBs with 358 receiving yards, this year trailing not usual leader Christian McCaffrey but rather the Saints’ Alvin Kamara at 421 yards.
And his play-making, which includes seven 20-yards-plus plays (three on runs, four on receptions), is also causing Downing and the offense to walk a fine line as they try to get rookie RB Braelon Allen more work.
“There’s a delicate balance there and we love what Braelon’s doing,” Downing said after confirming that “Taking Breece off the field when he’s getting going isn’t certainly something we’re looking for reasons to do, either.”
But as all NFL watchers know, emotions and fortunes can turn quickly in the Not For Long. Hall pays tribute to the Colts’ defenders, which, he notes, “definitely go for the ball a lot. They’ve got two good linebackers in Zaire [Franklin] and E.J. [Speed]. They’ve got a good D-line, a good back end. They’re good all over. We’ve got to come with our A-game.”
But Indianapolis also has been creased for big individual RB games by the Texans’ Joe Mixon (twice), the Packers’ Josh Jacobs and the Jaguars’ Tank Bigsby, all in Colts losses. Indy comes to MetLife on Sunday ranked 29th in overall defense, 30th against the rush and 27th in net pass defense.
“Yeah, it’s definitely something in the back of your mind,” he said of the time that’s growing short as the Jets and Colts (4-6) take their understated seasons into November and December. “But we’re professionals. We know what we’ve got to do, the task we have at hand. So we’re just going to try to continue to have fun, get better and win.”