Jets Country

New York Jets Rookie Youngest NFL Player to do This in Super Bowl Era

New York Jets rookie Braelon Allen didn’t just have a big day for his team, he had a big day for the record books.

Matthew Postins

New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Youth is always on a rookie’s side. But in New York Jets rookie Braelon Allen’s case, he has just a little more youth than others.

And that helped him do something no NFL player has done since 1950 in the Jets’ 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

After a season opener in which Allen wasn’t able to do much against San Francisco, he played a huge role in the Jets’ victory, scoring the first and second touchdowns of his NFL career.

The first came in the second quarter and was the first score of the game for New York, giving them a 7-3 lead. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked for a swing pass to his right. When that wasn’t there he turned to his left and Allen was there for a dump-off pass and had blockers on his way to a 12-yard touchdown.

Allen isn’t actually 21 years old just yet. But, per ESPN, at 20 years, 239 days, he was the youngest player to score an offensive touchdown in the NFL since 1950.

Plus, Allen’s first touchdown of any kind came from Rodgers, the 40-year-old future Hall-of-Famer he watched play growing up in Fond du Lac, Wis., when Rodgers played for the Green Bay Packers.

As fun as that was, Allen’s second touchdown of the game was far more important.

New York and Tennessee were tied at 17-all in the fourth quarter when the Jets turned to Allen on a 20-yard touchdown run with 4:31 left in the game.

He took a handoff from Rodgers, found a seam on the right side, eluded a would-be tackler on the sideline and gave New York the lead for good.

That made Allen a bit of a star at the podium after the game. He made the second score sound like it runs in the family.

“Just opened up, literally,” he said. “Ruck (tight end Jeremy Ruckert) did a great job on the edge, handling the D-end and all of our double teams got up to the second level, so it’s one-on-one, so it doesn’t get much easier than that. My nana could probably score on that one.”

Allen rushed seven times for 33 yards in relief of Breece Hall, who had 62 carries on 14 yards. Allen had two receptions for 23 yards. Hall also had his own touchdown reception in the game and had a team-high seven catches.

He was the Jets’ fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in April, where he was a three-time All-Big Ten selection.  

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Matthew Postins

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation.

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