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          New York Jets, Breece Hall score on 21-yard TD pass from Trevor Siemian

          • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterDec 29, 2023, 02:01 AM
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              Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
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          CLEVELAND -- The New York Jets received a much-needed spark in the second quarter Thursday night ... from their defense.

          Defensive end Jermaine Johnson intercepted a pass from Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

          Johnson jumped once, and then again, picking off a ball that was going to tight end David Njoku on a screen. It was a tremendous play by Johnson, who tipped it to himself, grabbed it out of the air and sprinted to the end zone.

          The Jets' opening drive ended in a peculiar place -- the end zone.

          Running back Breece Hall scored on a 21-yard reception to make it a 7-7 game, marking the Jets' first opening-drive touchdown of the season. That's right, it took 16 games to accomplish a feat that most teams do on a fairly regular basis.

          It came on a third-and-6 play. The Jets emptied the backfield, with Hall split wide to the left and moving in motion at the snap. He caught a drag route and left Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in his dust.

          When Hall scores, good things happen for the Jets. They're 10-1 when he records a touchdown.