NASHVILLE — The kids are OK.
Jets rookie running back Braylon Allen scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Titans.
At 20 years and 239 days old, Allen became the youngest player to score an offensive touchdown in the NFL since 1950, according to ESPN.
“He just needs a little bit of space,” Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “He's so big and strong. You can't tackle him up high. I'm really proud of him. He's a great kid. He takes it very seriously.”
The Jets had games like Sunday in mind when they selected Allen in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft out of the University of Wisconsin.
At 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, Allen is a strong man.
His first touchdown came in the second quarter on a beautiful pass play where Rodgers faked a screen to Breece Hall on the right and then threaded a pass to Allen on the left.
He ran in from 12 yards and no one could stop him.
“He's a heavy load,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “He always finishes up front. He had some big plays on short yardage, catching screen passes on our left side. With that space, you could bet he'd run through whoever was in his way at the 1-yard line. He's a perfect fit for Brees and the way Brees runs.”
Allen reached the end zone again in the fourth quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown.
He showed his speed on the play, scoring a 20-yard touchdown run through a wide gap on the right side.
“The two touchdowns I scored, nothing is easier than a perfect block,” Allen said. “Obviously, being on the field with Brees at the same time, he gets a ton of attention, so that allowed him to take his eyes off me and make a perfect block on the screen, so it was really easy. And then the same thing happened with the touchdown run, so I can't thank those guys enough.”
Allen wasn't part of the game plan in the Week 1 loss to the 49ers, but he ran seven times for 33 yards and caught two passes for 23 yards on Sunday.
“I'm just expecting it,” Allen said about taking on a bigger role in Week 2. “You never know how the game is going to go. I thought I could play a little bit more last week, but obviously, like I said, you just have to take it as it comes.”
Allen is the first Jets rookie running back to score two touchdowns in a game since Shawn Green in 2009.
