It was, at long last, what Patriots fans had been waiting for. Rookie second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson, who showed so much promise in training camp, who was tabbed as a breakout star heading into the season, the guy who would wrest the starting RB1 job from Rhamondre Stevenson, has mostly been a disappointment to open the season. He had not much shown his big-play ability, and his struggles in pass protection left coaches wary of putting him on the field.
Coming into the Week 8 game against the Browns–for whom his Ohio State teammate, Quinshon Judkins, had been starring–Henderson had 153 yards on 43 carries, an average of 3.6 yards per play. He’d totaled 16 catches for 99 yards in the passing game.
But on Sunday, in the 32-13 blowout win, Henderson got 10 carries on the 14 snaps he played, and racked up 75 yards, which included a 27-yard run and 30 yards on his first two carries in the Patriots’ opening drive. It was a good showing–until his final carry, a three-yard gain late in the fourth quarter inside the Cleveland 10-yard line that ended with a fumble and a turnover.
TreVeyon Henderson Hoping to Learn From Mistake
Such is the story of the Patriots’ 2025 running backs, a frustrating mix of upside and promise on one hand, and an inability to hold onto the ball on the other. Stevenson has three fumble already this season, and Antonio Gibson, now out for the year with a knee injury, has one. Henderson has now joined the dubious club.
“Yeah, it is tough,” he said. “You know, it is a learning lesson for me definitely. It is tough to go out like that, but that is something that we have been harping on all season, just taking care of the ball. So, that is something we have got to continue to work on.”
TreVeyon Henderson Getting More Comfortable With Patriots
Still, the hope is that Henderson showed enough before the fumble to keep himself in the good graces of coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Henderson has had more limited reps than it appeared he’d be getting coming into the year, but he said he has been getting more comfortable nonetheless.
“I have definitely been getting more comfortable this season as well,” Henderson said. “Getting more reps, getting more opportunities, different looks, going up against different players.”
And adjusting to the NFL as a rookie has been a challenge.
“Each level is always going to be an adjustment you have to make,” Henderson said. “High school to college, college to NFL. There are always going to be things you’ve got to adapt to. Game is getting faster, guys are bigger, guys are stronger. So, eventually you get accustomed to it.”
Patriots’ Rushing Numbers Getting Better
Even with the ups and downs, the Patriots had their best rushing day of the season against a very difficult Browns defense. New England put up 177 yards on the ground, after having gone for 175 yards last week against Tennessee. The Patriots had failed to scratch the 100-yard mark in three of the first six weeks of this season.
For the second straight week, too, some credit for the rushing numbers goes to quarterback Drake Maye, who ran for 50 yards on seven carries.
Said coach Mike Vrabel: “Tough sledding. I think we stayed committed and mixed some interior runs. We hit some outside plays, some perimeter runs. Then obviously the quarterback stuff helps, those numbers. When they pressure and they play man coverage and Drake can do that, that has to be part of who we are.”
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