Rookie boosts Patriots’ ground game
Michel rushes for 133 yards and a TD
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Running back James White was asked about the skill set of the player who happened to be eavesdropping and who just might be the X factor for New England down the stretch of the NFL regular season.
“I’m trying to be like Sweet Feet,” rookie running back Sony Michel said over White’s shoulder, a smile stretched across his face, one locker to the left.
Sweet Feet is White’s nickname. Michel might already be on the verge of something even better.
In Sunday’s 27-13 victory against the Jets, it was Michel — not Tom Brady, not Rob Gronkowski — who carried the load and sealed the game. He ran for 133 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. That was the most rushing yards by a Patriot since Jonas Gray earned 201 in Week 11 of 2014. When Michel left the game in the third quarter with an injury, the offense stagnated. When he returned, it dominated.
“That’s just us being able to play Patriot football,” Michel said. “We want to be physical. And when you’re physical, you can run the ball, you can throw the ball. It’s almost like you can control the line of scrimmage and do what you want to do.”
Michel’s blend of speed and power — the main reasons the Patriots selected him No. 31 overall in the first round of the draft — were on display. And that it came after the Pats posted a season-low
40 rushing yards in a Week 10 loss to the Titans is a positive sign for New England
(8-3).
“In the Tennessee game, we didn’t get the run game going at all,” White said. “It was an emphasis. Everybody looked at themselves in the mirror during the bye week and said they wanted to get the run game going. Offensive line did a great job, receivers, tight ends, and Sony was getting downhill.”
Against the Jets, the Patriots ran for
215 yards, also the most since that 2014 game. And though Michel might be emerging as a workhorse for New England, White is also a pivotal weapon who can change the pace and catch passes out of the backfield. He had 10 touches for 78 total yards.
And with three of the final five Patriots opponents ranking in the top 10 in rushing defense (Vikings, fifth with 94.8 yards per game; Steelers, eighth with 99.6; Bills, ninth with 99.8) how Michel performs in this stretch could determine whether the Patriots can claim home-field advantage in the AFC.
“We have some different characteristics, but he can do some of the same stuff that I do,” White said of Michel. “Defenses just have to pay attention to who’s in the football game. We just try to go out there and do our job and make plays when they present themselves.”
It doesn’t hurt that New England is finally getting healthy.
Michel had been dealing with a knee injury but appears closer to full form. Right guard Shaq Mason (hand) and tight end Gronkowski (ankle, back), both of whom are essential in run blocking, made their returns against the Jets.
Fellow running back Rex Burkhead (neck) is eligible to return next week against the Vikings after he was placed on injured reserve, so the Patriots could opt to rely more on the ground game.
Still, players stressed that the Patriots strive to play complementary football, even if the run-pass splits don’t show it.
The Patriots now must fix self-inflicted errors that could cost them late in the year. Against New York, they committed 11 penalties for 105 yards, many of them killing drives.
“There’s games where we might go in and throw the ball a lot more for different reasons and when it turns into that game, we’ve got to take advantage of it when we get our chances,” center David Andrews said. “But it all starts up front. When you run the ball, you open up play action. Running the ball can die down the pass rush. Running the ball can put you in favorable third-down situations, where you’re not playing for third-and-nine and people are teeing off on you.
“It all starts up front, and it always will.”