Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson didn’t break off the big runs against the New York Jets in Week 11, but New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was more impressed by a key change that helped the second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft enjoy a three-touchdown game.
Henderson rushed for a pair of scores and snagged a touchdown pass from quarterback Drake Maye, who continues to play at an MVP level. Those touchdowns not only helped the Patriots beat their AFC East rivals 27-14 at Gillette Stadium on Thursday Night Football, they also saw Henderson equal marks set by two franchise legends, including three-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski.
Vrabel didn’t want to talk about records after the game on November 15, but he was happy to focus on the dirty work performed by Henderson. As the coach put it, “the best couple of runs he had were there late in the game when it was tough sledding, and we’re in five-minute, and they know we’re going to run, and they’re blitzing and everything else. Looked like we were going to be short, and he’s able to knife through there and keep his pads down and pick up a huge first down. No home runs tonight, but I thought he grinded out pretty much what was there,” per Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
Henderson getting plaudits for a more physical running style is in sharp contrast to the praise he earned last week. Two 50-plus-yard touchdown runs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw Henderson match a Patriots record last set in 1997 and marked the first-year pro out as a legitimate big-play threat, but his efforts against the Jets revealed a different element to his game.
That element has Henderson looking like a lead workhorse Vrabel can’t ignore, even when veteran starter Rhamondre Stevenson is fully healthy.
More Physical TreVeyon Henderson a Problem for NFL Defenses
Henderson’s breakaway speed was already no secret, but he sent NFL defenses a warning by the way he battered the Jets between the tackles. The 5-foot-10, 202-pounder played bigger than his frame and treated first contact as an insult.
Numbers from Next Gen Stats show the 23-year-old “gained more rushing yards after contact (70) than total rushing yards (62) in his 3 TD performance against the Jets. Henderson forced a career-high nine missed tackles across 24 touches, while playing on 56 of 62 (90%) of offensive snaps.”
Stats like those were made possible by Henderson’s willingness to keep his shoulders square, lower his head and punish would-be tacklers to move the pile. Combined with his natural acceleration and quick cuts, Henderson consistently turned seemingly lost runs into positive gains.
His second touchdown was a prime example, when Henderson made a deft jump cut to wrong-foot a defender in the backfield, before powering into the end zone.
This score also meant Henderson became “the first Patriots rookie with 2 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since Curtis Martin in 1995 when he had a streak of three games with 2 rushing touchdowns and then later in the year back-to-back games with 2 rushing touchdowns,” according to Patriots.com.
His fourth-quarter TD catch earned Henderson more favorable history, since “the only other Patriots rookie to account for three touchdowns in a game was TE Rob Gronkowski when he had 3 receiving touchdowns at Pittsburgh on Nov. 14, 2010.”
Although Henderson was content to credit his offensive line, the former Ohio State star has used his last two games to make the strongest case possible to unseat Stevenson.
Time for Mike Vrabel to Make Change in Backfield
Vrabel has trusted Stevenson’s veteran presence for most of this season, but the latter’s toe injury has given Henderson the chance to show he should be the starter. The case was strengthened by Henderson delivering some brute force to the Jets, particularly late in the game.
It was significant Vrabel referenced how well Henderson ran during the final five minutes. Vrabel’s been searching for a closer in the running game, somebody to move the chains in a straight-ahead way when the Patriots need to kill the clock.
Henderson has proved he can be that guy, while his talent for the big play and useful receiving skills mean Vrabel has a true three-down back who must continue enjoying an expanded role moving forward.
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