New England running through opponents
Nancy Armour: Pass-happy Patriots relying more on their ground attack
When you think of the Patriots’ offense, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are the first names to come to mind. A running back?
Not so much.
No big surprise, considering the running game has always been something of an afterthought in the Brady-Bill Belichick era. Corey Dillon and LeGarrette Blount had some fine years, but most seasons New England preferred to let Brady do the heavy lifting and use a ro- tation of backs to keep defenses honest.
But whether it’s by design, necessity or a little bit of both, there’s been a shift this season.
The Patriots ground down Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game, running the ball a whopping 48 times.
Their opening drive alone, they ran it 10 times. Most other seasons, that would have been considered a good half for a New England team.
Running the ball that much also allowed the Patriots to dominate time of possession, 43:59 to 20:53, and as a result limit the opportunities Patrick Mahomes had.
That would prove to be key as the game went to overtime.
“You play on the road, it’s going to be tough. What travels is running the ball and playing tough,” Brady said after the game. “That is good in any weather, any condition, any environment and any stadium. That was a big part of our game.”
Has been for the past month, actually, which also happens to be when the Patriots finally found their groove. Beginning with a 273-yard outburst against Buffalo, New England’s highest rushing total in a game Brady has started, the Patriots have run for 130 yards or more in their last four games.
That’s happened only one other time under Belichick.
New England’s 2,037 yards rushing during the regular season are its most since 2013 and among the top five in the Brady era, as is its 478 attempts.
Now, no one is saying the Patriots are morphing into a smash-mouth team. That makes no sense when your quarterback is a three-time NFL MVP and a five-time Super Bowl champ who, even at 41, shows little sign of decline.
But Belichick signaled back in April that change was afoot by drafting Sony Michel, only the second running back he’s taken in the first round. And it makes sense. While Brady might seem ageless, the stars around him are not.
Gronkowski was hobbled for much of the season, leading to (new) rumors that he might retire in the offseason.
Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season and, having missed last season with a torn ACL, needed time to find his rhythm when he returned.
Josh Gordon announced two weeks before the end of the regular season that he was stepping away to focus on his mental health and addiction issues.
By running the ball more, the Patriots could lessen the impact of their shortcomings.
“The running game is always important to this team because it helps open things up,” said Michel, the first rookie to score five touchdowns in the postseason.
Michel has had knee issues dating to college, and they limited him for part of the season. He missed the regular-season opener after having fluid drained, then was out for Weeks 8, 9 and 11 after twisting his left knee early in the game against the Bears.
Once he was back and fully up to speed, however, Michel and the rest of the running backs gave the Patriots a formidable run game, something opponents aren’t used to seeing from New England.
Then again, that’s part of Belichick’s genius. He’s better than almost anyone at making adjustments and keeping opponents off guard.
“Sony ran his butt off. Rex (Burkhead) ran his butt off,” Brady said Sunday night.
So, too, fullback James Develin, who played 41 snaps against the Chiefs. Yes, you read that right. Talk about old school.
Keeping the ball on the ground would seem to be an effective strategy against the Rams, too, who had the second-ranked offense this season behind Kansas City. But it won’t be quite so easy, given the Rams just limited Dallas and New Orleans to a total of 98 yards rushing.
That would be the same Dallas that has Ezekiel Elliott and the same New Orleans that has Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
That’s the nice thing about balancing out the offense, though. It gives the Patriots options.
And, with a Super Bowl title on the line, you can be sure Belichick and Brady will run through every one of them.