FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. King advice: When elevated to the starting role in Week 4, running back Braelon Allen received a text from friend and mentor, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who encouraged him to seize the opportunity. Allen has done that, rushing for 253 yards during Breece Hall's three-game injury absence -- fifth most in the NFL over that span.
"Don't give no credit to me; he's his own man," Henry told ESPN. "I'm trying to be someone who can help him out in any way I can give advice.
"But, yeah, he's just a big, physical kid. I call him 'Manchild,' and I was able to catch a little bit of clips from the games he's played. He's doing a heck of a job being in that starting role and always knew he'd be ready for it, so I'm happy for him."
Their relationship goes back five years. As a freshman at Wisconsin, Allen posted a photo of himself wearing a Henry shirt. Henry saw it, reached out and they became friends.
They train at the same Dallas facility during the offseason, and they talk at least once a week during the season. There's a 10-year age difference -- Allen is 22, Henry 32 -- but their playing style is similar: They're both big, bruising and deceptively fast.
The Ravens star is listed at 6-foot-3, 252 pounds; Allen is 6-1, 235, though he said his current weight is 242.
"He runs hard, runs behind his pads, isn't willing to go down that easy," said Henry, the ninth-leading rusher in NFL history. "So, yeah, he's going to keep getting better and better."
Allen said of Henry: "In my shoes, he's really the best you can get in terms of a guy, a connection, someone that can mentor and guide me through the process of my career. He's been great. I try to get every little nugget that I can about what he does. He doesn't slow down. I want to have a long career, too, so I try to soak up as much as possible."
When Hall returns from his injury, which could be Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, Allen will return to his role as the RB2. Coach Aaron Glenn made it clear that Hall remains the starter, adding that Allen will continue to get carries after averaging 4.2 yards per carry this season.
2. Two minutes of chaos: In the 2024 season finale, Aaron Rodgers threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard with a minute left in the second quarter.
Here we are, 658 days later. The Jets haven't scored a touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half since -- outscored 100-6 in 23 games under Glenn.
"Oh, damn," an opposing personnel scout said. "Holy cow, that's poor time management."
It might seem like nitpicking because we're talking about only two minutes out of a 60-minute game -- four minutes, if you want to include the end of the fourth quarter -- but it shines a light on a team's ability to execute in a high-leverage situation. They can be momentum swingers, too, and we all know every point matters in the NFL. To wit: Glenn is 4-8 in one-score games.
Other factoids:
The Jets have gone 15 straight games without scoring in the final two minutes of the second quarter. They've been outscored this season 20-0. Since 2000, only one team went scoreless for an entire season -- the 2021 New York Giants, who finished 4-13. "I didn't know that," said Jets practice-squad receiver Sterling Shepard, a member of the Giants that year. "That's a wild stat."
The 2021 Giants' point differential was minus-79, which ranks 862nd out of 862 teams since 2000. At minus-74, the '25 Jets were 861st.
There have been ample opportunities this season for the Jets, who had a two-minute drive in five of their first six games at the end of the first half. Not once did they get close enough to even try a long field goal. If you want to include the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, they've been outscored under Glenn 119-49 including 23-3 this season.
Geno Smith has been one of the better two-minute quarterbacks since 2022 (ninth out of 37 qualified passers in QBR), which makes the Jets' hurry-up follies even more confounding.
3. The Rodgers curse? An interesting postscript: A few seconds after Rodgers' TD to Lazard, Jets safety Ashtyn Davis made his second interception of the game, a win over Miami in Rodgers' final game as a Jet. It would be the Jets' last interception until this season, Week 4, a historic drought of 20 games.
4. Daring Darren: The Jets have three games before the NFL trading deadline (Nov. 10). The outcomes likely will determine if they're buyers, sellers or bystanders.
They have a few players that might interest other teams, including two former starters now in backup roles -- cornerback Nahshon Wright and safety Andre Cisco, both on one-year contracts. Wright has been a healthy scratch for the last four games.
Edge rusher Will McDonald IV could intrigue teams, as he did last year. Problem is, injuries have hurt the depth at that position, a reason for keeping him. McDonald is signed through 2027 ($13.8 million guaranteed), but he's no longer an every-down player.
It's hard to imagine general manager Darren Mougey, an aggressive trader, not doing anything.
5. Friday fashion: Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips showed up to the first Friday practice wearing a buttoned-up polo shirt under his jersey. The fad grew from one player to a few to a dozen or so, and now about 20 to 30 players and some coaches are doing it.
It's a tone setter, according to Phillips, who wanted to create a business-like vibe on the shortest and lightest practice of the week.
"The idea is that, even though it's a fast Friday and it's the job, and we're taking the physical [aspect] out of practice, mentally we're still at work and we're still intense mentally," Phillips said.
Phillips said he started the tradition on one of his previous teams because the Friday practices got too lackadaisical and it was "rubbing me the wrong way." He wouldn't identify the team, but he had only two previous stops, the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.
So he started to dress for success, and he brought it to the Jets.
6. Packing a punch: The "Peanut Punch" is gaining popularity around the league. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood executed a textbook punch last Sunday, racing 40 yards downfield and using a top-to-bottom striking motion to dislodge the ball from New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas.
Sherwood said there's an art to perfect aim, that swinging wildly can be dangerous. He said he learned a hard lesson in 2024, fracturing a small bone in his hand during practice when he missed his target and crashed his fist into a teammate's helmet.
"You have to be very intentional," said Sherwood, adding that fellow linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball has the best technique on the team. The Jets have 10 forced fumbles, second in the league. The "Peanut Punch" is named after its creator, former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles (Peanut) Tillman.
7. Super power: The Jets have a league-high five unblocked sacks, including two by rookie David Bailey, per Next Gen Stats. That's a credit to Glenn and his ability to create confusion with his pressure schemes.
8. Yo, bro: In the Jets' defensive meeting room, they're calling it the "Slowik Bowl." The Jets' safeties coach is Ryan Slowik, 45. His younger brother, Bobby, 39, is the Dolphins' offensive coordinator.
9. Epic: For those looking ahead to the 2027 draft, the Jets currently hold the sixth, ninth and 13th picks, per Tankathon. The first two choices would come from the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts via the Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner trades, respectively.
10. The last word: One year ago, Oct. 25, 2025, the Jets lost one of their most beloved players, Nick Mangold, who died at 41 due to complications from kidney disease. He was a fun-loving personality, a blue-collar tough guy and an outstanding player. He made his last Pro Bowl in 2015. No Jets offensive lineman has made it since.
In his eulogy, former teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Alan Faneca called Mangold "the heartbeat of the organization for 11 years."
Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.