Coming into the Patriots‘ Week 11 showing against the Jets, one player who was clearly going to be under the microscope was running back TreVeyon Henderson. After a promising summer of training camp, it had been a slow start to Henderson’s NFL career, as concerns about his pass-blocking outweighed the Patriots’ desire to get his explosive-play ability involved in the mix.
But time and circumstances changes, as, first, backup running back Antonio Gibson injured his ACL in Week 4 and was ruled out for the season. Then, starter Rhamondre Stevenson went down with a toe injury ahead of Week 9, and remained out in Week 10, when Henderson put forth a 147-yard breakout game with two touchdown runs, of 55 and 69 yards, to fuel a gritty win over the Buccaneers.
The question on Thursday against the Jets was whether Henderson would continue to show he has the chops to be the team’s leading man in the backfield. He came through: Henderson notched 19 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third touchdown as a receiver, where he caught five passes for 31 yards. The Patriots won, 27-14.
TreVeyon Henderson Had to Be Patient
After the game, Henderson spoke to Amazon Prime Sports about the effort he put in, and the Patriots rookie was quick to pass out credit to everyone from God to Drake Maye. Remember, it was only four weeks ago that Henderson played just nine snaps in the win over Tennessee, and only 14 in the win over Cleveland.
He played 51 snaps in each of the last two weeks with Stevenson out.
“I’ve just been staying patient, trusting the Lord’s plan, continuing to do my part,” Henderson said. “The rest I leave up to Him. I am thankful that I was able to come out here and He allowed me to have this success.”
Patriots Offensive Line Created Room for TreVeyon Henderson
When it came to the touchdowns, Henderson pointed to the offensive line, which has been improving as a run-blocking unit as the season has gone on. That will obviously be beneficial for the Patriots offense as the weather gets colder and the run game comes more into focus.
It’s not clear whether it will be Henderson or Stevenson who will do the bulk of the ball-carrying, but with a rebuilt offensive line featuring four new starters, it’s a positive for the Patriots to start having cohesion there.
“Those first two touchdowns, all my offensive linemen. I gotta give those guys credit,” Henderson said. “They make my job easier. Those guys put in the dirty work, and so I really give the credit to those guys. I am really thankful to be playing alongside of those guys, running behind those guys. And playing on this team.”
Patriots Won 8 Straight
It is now a remarkable eight straight wins for the Patriots, who have played a notably light schedule but, at the same time, have met every challenge that’s been presented to them going back to Week 4. And there’s no quarterback playing at a higher level these days than Maye, who was 25-for-34 passing for 281 yards and a touchdown on the night.
“He’s a baller and he is a great leader,” Henderson said. “The biggest thing is, he is humble. He comes into work each and every day and he pushes everyone around him.”
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