Okay, so last week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t exactly go as planned. That being said, the New England Patriots running backs performed about as well as expected. In Week Three, they’re up against the Detroit Lions and the Patriots running backs are primed for a massive improvement.
New England Patriots Running Backs Look to Bounce Back in Week Three
Week Two Does Not Represent New England’s Running Ability
Last week’s (poor, dismal, uncharacteristic) performance against Jacksonville gave us few bright spots. Among them: This group’s favorite young tight end Jacob Hollister saw a brilliant reception from Tom Brady, Sony Michel got his first touches in an NFL game, and we got a classic Brady Sneak. However, the overall running back performance was stunted by an aggressive Jaguars defense.
New England’s backs ran for a total of 67 yards and – oh, look at that – zero touchdowns. The team had about as much success running against Jacksonville as they’d have running against a brick wall, but that’s because Jacksonville’s defensive line is just that good.
The Detroit Lions defensive line is not that good. If running against Jacksonville is akin to running against a brick wall, running against Detroit is going to be like running through an open valley.
Bend Don’t Break? Detroit’s Defense Is Already Broken
The Matt Patricia-led Lions have allowed a total of 359 rushing yards over two games this season – an average of 179.5 per game – and three rushing touchdowns. Mind you, their two games so far have been against the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers. The Jets just lost against the Cleveland Browns (after Isaiah Crowell wiped his ass with a football and threw it into the stands at the fans of the Browns—the very team that gave him his start in the NFL), and the 49ers have relied on Alfred Morris and Matt Breida to run the ball since losing star back Jerick McKinnon to an ACL tear before the start of the season.
Put simply: The Lions defense has allowed just okay running backs to run up and down the field. How well are they going to fare against a proven offensive coordinator, a legendary quarterback, and backs who can catch the ball just as well as they can run it?
Field Day for New England’s Running Backs
Rex Burkhead may not have seen much action in Jacksonville after a limited week of practice, but he’ll be the early-down back this week. While defensive end Ziggy Ansah will be focused on getting to Brady, Brady will have already given the ball to Burkhead who will be breaking tackles and spinning through the line for easy yardage.
James White is going to be a nightmare for the Lions linebackers thanks to his “sweet feet” and pass-catching ability. White’s running was hampered in Jacksonville. However, he saw the most receiving action last week, reeling in seven receptions for 73 yards. The Lions can’t handle the mixed bag of offensive weapons the Patriots are bringing to town, especially if newcomer Josh Gordon is thrown in. Someone’s going to be open, and it’s probably going to be White.
Good to see Sony Michel was a full participant in practice today. Hopefully he'll be removed completely by the end of the week. Could be featured heavily if he's a full go against a bad #Lions run defense. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) September 19, 2018
After being removed from the injury report this week, Michel is also likely to play this weekend. He’ll look to improve on his 34 rushing yards in Jacksonville, and it’s highly likely he’ll do just that. Go ahead and quote me on this: Michel will finally have his breakout game in Detroit. If Breida can run for 138 yards and a touchdown against Detroit, Michel can surely exceed that.
Last Word on Week Three: New England at Detroit
How can a team led by a Championship winning defensive coordinator be so bad?
Former Patriots coordinators-turned-coaches don’t have a great track record. Josh McDaniels was once head coach of the Denver Broncos. He was fired after two years for an 11-17 overall record. Bill O’Brien, head coach of the Texans, has been moderately successful in Houston since 2014. Still, as of 2018, he’s got a 31-35 record overall. Patricia appears to be no different as the Lions are off to a depressing 0-2 start. By the end of Sunday night, it’ll be 0-3, something Detroit can thank the Patriots running backs for.
Prediction: The Patriots running backs take in three of (at least) five touchdowns Sunday night. New England wins 35-21.
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