Big plays by Breece Hall, Bryce Hall lift Jets over Broncos

DENVER — Breece Hall was back on the field where he tore his left ACL last season, and he tore through the Broncos’ defense.

Hall racked up 194 scrimmage yards — 177 rushing and 17 receiving — and helped the Jets to a 31-21 victory Sunday afternoon at Empower Field.

The second-year running back scored the Jets’ only offensive touchdown on a 72-yard burst in the third quarter. The Jets (2-3) also had a defensive touchdown that iced the game, ended their three-game losing streak and gave Nathaniel Hackett a happy return to Denver.

With the Jets leading 24-21, Quincy Williams chased down Russell Wilson, sacked him and forced him to cough up the football. Bryce Hall scooped it up and returned it 39 yards for the touchdown with 29 seconds left.

“He’s a game-wrecker at linebacker,” coach Robert Saleh said of Williams. “I’m so proud of him.”

The Jets needed that play to preserve the much-needed win and one they wanted for Hackett, their beloved offensive coordinator.

Hackett was the Broncos’ head coach last year but didn’t finish out the season. They fired him the day after Christmas with a 4-11 record, and current Broncos coach Sean Payton later called it “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”

Tight end C.J. Uzomah broke down the offense before the Jets took the field and said, “Their coach made it personal. [Expletive] him . . . Let’s go win this [expletive] for Hack.”

They didn’t play inspired offensive football, but the Jets controlled the time of possession and most of the game. They had a season-high 407 yards of offense.

Saleh gave Hackett the game ball. “It was a special game for Hack,” he said. “Racked up more than 400 yards against them, scored 31 points. I’m happy for him.’’

Said Zach Wilson: “Whether he said much this week or not, this game meant a lot for us, for him.”

Uzomah said, “When someone talks [expletive] about one of us or one of our coaches or anyone in the building, we want to have their back. This one was for Hack.”

Zach Wilson led six scoring drives, four in the second half. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 199 yards and one interception. The Jets struggled in the red zone, though, going 0-for-5. Greg Zuerlein kicked five field goals (30, 26, 27, 22 and 49 yards).

Russell Wilson was 20-for-31 for 196 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos (1-4).

The Jets trailed 13-8 at halftime after squandering a chance to get within two in the final seconds. Poor clock management led to the Jets not getting off a play after Uzomah caught a short pass and was tackled at the Denver 8 with 10 seconds left.

On their first play of the second half, the Jets took the lead on a counter play. Hall took a first-down handoff and had plenty of room to run, sprinting for a 72-yard touchdown.

“I had been complaining about it all day because I didn’t feel like I had enough space to maneuver,” Hall said. “Coach was like, ‘Breece, give me one more, I’m gonna call one more and we’ll see what happens.’ He called it and the hole was wide open, blocked up perfectly. I just had to make the safety miss and there was nobody else there.”

Zach Wilson said, “You could have driven a semi-truck through that hole.”

The Jets ended up scoring 16 unanswered points and led 24-13 midway through the fourth quarter. The Broncos cut it to 24-21 with 4:44 left on a drive that was aided by two costly defensive penalties — roughing the passer on Bryce Huff and defensive holding on Bryce Hall on a two-point conversion.

Then, on a third-and-4 from the Jets’ 31, Zach Wilson connected with Tyler Conklin for a 37-yard gain, with Conklin bulling his way for extra yardage.

Later, on third-and-5 from the 27, Zach Wilson’s pass to Garrett Wilson was picked off by Patrick Surtain Jr. at the Broncos’ 3 with 2:14 remaining. Surtain caught the ball between his legs, and the Broncos had life.

The Jets needed their defense to come up big, and Williams did. It’s not often the Jets let a linebacker loose on a quarterback. Williams can’t remember the last time that happened. When he heard the call, he knew what would happen.

“As soon as that play gets called, I already know it’s a sack,” Williams said. “All I know is when it got called, I said, ‘Oh, yeah, this is a sack.’ ”

Russell Wilson, who usually is good on the run, escaped the pocket, but Williams had no problem chasing him down.

“I ain’t worried about nobody outrunning me,” Williams said. “I’m going to be honest with you, I’m the fastest linebacker in the league. I say that very confidently and humbly.”

Saleh ran onto the field to celebrate with Williams, and then everyone celebrated with Hackett in the locker room.

“It meant everything,” Conklin said. “Hack didn’t say much about it. You know how much it meant to him. It definitely meant a ton for us to be able to pull that out for him.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.