In case you haven’t noticed, the New England Patriots running back corps has taken their fair share of lumps over the season. Jeremy Hill, Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel all sustained serious injuries. Hill is out until next year with a torn ACL, Burkhead landed on injured reserve after sustaining a neck injury against the Detroit Lions, and a nasty injury against the New York Jets nearly sidelined Michel for the remainder of the year (until some mystery miracle ointment revived him). That left James White as the team’s most reliable running back for most of the season. However, Burkhead has officially been activated from injured reserve, meaning he’ll likely see playing time when the Patriots take on the Minnesota Vikings. His return will undoubtedly help lighten the load that White and Michel have shared.
Rex Burkhead’s Return Will Boost New England Patriots Rushing Corps
Burkhead re-signed with the Patriots and was eager to follow up on last year’s career-high season. Much like White, Burkhead proved his mettle with distinct abilities to run the ball straight up the middle and serve as a handy pass-catching back. He recorded five rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns last season, combining for 518 total yards. He was very plainly a tough, valuable player throughout the year even though he only started in 10 games.
But that’s always been Burkhead’s flip side: He’s prone to injuries that sideline him for part of the season. In fact, he’s only played two full seasons since entering the league – neither of which have been with the Patriots. How useful can he really be if he’s only able to contribute sometimes and not all the time?
The Patriots Need a Back Like Burkhead
Turns out, even as a part-time contributor Burkhead is still of great use to the Patriots. Michel has done well in Burkhead’s place, but he too is injury prone. Burkhead has been the closest thing they have to a power back since LeGarrette Blount. While Michel is well on his way to claiming that role, Burkhead’s return will help ease Michel’s workload. Considering the team had all but exhausted their rushing options – even utilizing wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the position at one point – any depth at running back will be vital to the team’s future.
Rex Burkhead is back at practice. He’s the Patriots’ second IR player designated for return (means Eric Rowe is done for the year). Burkhead cannot play until Week 13 vs. the Vikings.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) November 8, 2018
Burkhead has had plenty of time to heal from his neck injury. Since the injury wasn’t serious enough to end his season, his activation from IR is of little to no surprise. After all, he’s been practicing with the team since early November. Our bet is that he’ll be ready to go when the team takes on the Vikings. Not only that, but our bet is that he’ll see a fair portion of work as well, taking over for both Michel and White throughout the game. The ability to cycle through the depth chart on various downs will help keep the backs fresh and ready to go.
Renewed Offense Takes On Top Defense
In case anyone’s been in a coma for most of the season, the Patriots offense has struggled this year. The team has put up plenty of points (for the most part – not including three embarrassing road losses), but a near-depleted receiving unit and rushing corps has been hard on New England.
Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games this year, and hasn’t shown his signature explosive moves and clutch hands despite quietly inching toward a career season. Chris Hogan has been damn near invisible this year. Rob Gronkowski has only reeled in two touchdowns. Josh Gordon was (is – mark our word) the next Randy Moss, and has largely impressed everyone. Still, things just haven’t seemed to “jive” very well even with an 8-3 record.
The ground game was decimated before the season even had a chance to take off. As we mentioned before, Hill is out for the season. Brandon Bolden signed with the Miami Dolphins and Dion Lewis signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency (the latter of whom is having a pretty bad season, even with his trash talk). Burkhead’s injury put everyone on notice: The Patriots can be hurt – the Patriots are mortal. From that point on, every time Michel or White went down, fans collectively held their breath hoping the team wasn’t about to lose another player.
GRONK! GRONK! GRONK!
📺: CBS #GoPats https://t.co/0BPglGHuJc
— NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2018
After the bye week, everything seems to be getting back to normal. Edelman is flying through the air, Gronk is spiking, Hogan is making big gains, Michel is breaking through lines and Burkhead – finally – is back. This renewed offense seems ready for their next mission: Taking on a high-performance Vikings defense at home. Sheldon Richardson, Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks could all pose problems for the Patriots revived rushing corps.
Ground Game Preview
On paper, the Vikings defense is a wall, allowing just 93.6 yards per game, the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league. In fact, all four of Minnesota’s losses came in games where their opponents rushed for more than 100 yards. The top running backs from those opponents consisted of names like LeSean McCoy, Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram and Jordan Howard.
Luckily, Michel has rushed for near or more than 100 yards in four games this year. His best performance came against the Jets, even after his injury scare. White hasn’t rushed for more than 100 yards this year, but he’s been useful as a backfield receiver.
Where does Burkhead play into all of this? Outside of the aforementioned roster depth, he’s an element that the Vikings haven’t really had time to plan for. So to say, he’s an element of surprise. Let’s not forget about White, who can disrupt the Vikings defense with fancy footwork and sweet pass-catching abilities.
Michel himself may not run for over 100 yards this year, but the the combined yardage from Michel, Burkhead and White will likely exceed that mark – potentially reaching the 200-yard mark as well.
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