MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The first night game of this Jets season turned out to be a nightmare for Braelon Allen.
Allen fumbled at the 1-yard line on their opening series, ending a tour de force of a drive that saw the Jets offense run the ball for 76 yards.
The next time he touched the ball, Allen took a hit to the knee on a kickoff return.
He left the game and quickly was ruled out. Allen represented the major Jets injury that added to the insult of a 27-21 loss to the previously winless Dolphins.
The Jets running game had regressed in the past two weeks.
After rolling up 182 yards on the ground in the opener against the Steelers, the Jets managed just 99 rushing yards against the Bills and 100 at Tampa Bay.
Monday night needed to be different, and it was.
The Jets offense took the field for the first time trailing 3-0. Breece Hall ran up the middle for 6 yards, then Allen went off left tackle for 9 and Justin Fields scrambled for 6.
As the Jets moved the ball upfield, Allen picked up another 15 yards up the middle and Fields followed that with a 19-yard scramble.
“It was just how a first drive of a game should be,” Hall said. “Mix it up, run-pass, play action. We just didn’t convert.”
On a second-and-5 from the Miami 6-yard line, Allen started up the middle, juked to his left and dove for the goal line.
But in midair, about a yard away from the white stripe, Allen had the ball knocked out of his hands by Jack Jones and it was recovered at the 4 by Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“It was just a good punch-out by the [defensive back], but I’m more than confident Braelon can make that play.”
Instead, it was one of three costly Jets giveaways.
“Obviously that was one that’s going to be magnified because it was ‘right there,’ ” said Jets coach Aaron Glenn. “He was about to go in [and score]. But every turnover is impactful. I’m not about to just put it on that turnover.”
Miami cashed in on the takeaway, with Tua Tagovailoa directing a 96-yard drive in 15 plays, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass to former Giants tight end Darren Waller.
Allen returned the ensuing kickoff to the 26 before taking a knifing hit to the knee.
Allen remained down for several minutes before rising and walking off slowly under his own power.
Once he cleared the field, the Dolphins challenged that Allen had fumbled the ball, but video review upheld a call of down by contact.
The Jets continued to have success running the ball after Allen’s departure. Hall scooted around left end for 23 yards on the first play of the following drive.
Fields then scrambled for a 43-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Hall and Fields each finished with 81 yards rushing to lead the Jets.
But their efforts to try to win the game would come up short, just as they did when Allen fumbled on the first drive.
And now the Jets are looking at the possibility of losing Allen for the long term.
“It looked like it was pretty bad,” Glenn said. “But I don’t want to say that until we [know]. Hopefully he’ll be alright.”
