Coming into the Patriots‘ Week 12 game against the Bengals on Sunday, one of the questions surrounding the team was coming out of the running-back room–which had been a source of questions all season. Rhamondre Stevenson missed three weeks with a toe injury and was returning. But rookie TreVeyon Henderson had performed admirably in his place, so it was unclear who would hold the RB1 role once the pair was active again.
The answer was clear: It’s Henderson. He did not have any of the big-play explosives that had earned him some notice in recent weeks, but he did get 66 yards on 18 carries, a workmanlike 3.7 yards per pop. Stevenson had six carries for just five yards, with a long of three yards.
Henderson played 46 snaps in the game, while Stevenson played 22 snaps in his first game back.
Patriots Rushing Game Remains Flawed
Of course, that’s just Week 12, and as we have seen with the Patriots, things change. Though Henderson appears to have the job on his side at this point, there’s still no reason to have ample confidence in this team’s running game.
That was on full display against the Bengals, first during a drive in the third quarter in which the Patriots had a first-and-goal from the Bengals 1-yard line and failed to convert it to a touchdown. They tried a Terrell Jennings run, hoping he could bowl it in, but he was stopped. A penalty moved the Patriots back, but they got it back to the 1-yard line and tried two Stevenson runs. Both failed, and they turned the ball over on downs.
It happened again in the fourth quarter, when the Patriots had a first-and-goal from the 4. Henderson got a second-down carry that gained three yards but was stopped short. Drake Maye attempted a run for the remaining yard, but he came up short and the Patriots took the field goal.
TreVeyon Henderson: ‘It’s Tough’
That’s the issue with both Henderson and Stevenson–and Jennings, for that matter. The Patriots offensive line has not been great in opening holes, but the team’s backs have been really poor at finding second-effort yards in must-have situations.
“It’s tough,” Henderson said. “That’s something we definitely have to continue to work on, and it starts with practice. I know Coach Vrabel is going to continue to do a good job with pushing us and helping us to get better when it comes to that.”
The problem, though, is that the Patriots were facing the worst rushing defense in the league in Week 12–the Bengals had been averaging 160.9 yards on the ground allowed per game. The Patriots managed 107 yards rushing on Sunday, the second-fewest the Bengals have allowed all year.
Patriots, TreVeyon Henderson Playing Tired
The Patriots have not been great at short-yard rushing even on their best days. With 3.9 yards per carry, the rushing offense ranks just No. 27. Sunday was not their best day, no doubt, and Henderson conceded that, with the team still two weeks away from its bye, they’re tired.
“Yeah, of course guys are tired, people are sore — that’s pretty much the norm. But I think Coach Vrabel does a good job each and every practice just pushing us and demanding the best, and that’s a blessing.”
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