{"id":55511,"date":"2018-12-29T19:23:19","date_gmt":"2018-12-30T00:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=55511"},"modified":"2018-12-29T19:23:19","modified_gmt":"2018-12-30T00:23:19","slug":"sony-michel-thousand-yard-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/12\/29\/sony-michel-thousand-yard-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Michel Poised for Thousand-Yard Rookie Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Despite repetitive injuries throughout the season, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/patriots\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New England Patriots<\/a> rookie running back <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MichSo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony Michel<\/a><\/strong> has performed admirably &#8211; even exceeding many expectations. Michel has rushed for more than 100 yards four times this year, including a 116-yard performance against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buffalo Bills<\/a> in Week 16. All in all, Michel <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2018\/12\/27\/new-england-patriots-week-17-bold-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">needs just 119 more yards<\/a> to reach the thousand-yard mark in his rookie season. Coincidentally, the Patriots are going up against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/jets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Jets<\/a>, whose run defense gives up an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/statistics\/team\/_\/stat\/rushing\/sort\/rushingYardsPerGame\/position\/defense\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">average of 126 yards per game<\/a>. The weak Jets run defense could crumble under Michel&#8217;s relentless rushing ability.<\/p>\n<h1>Sony Michel Poised for Thousand-Yard Rookie Season<\/h1>\n<h2>The Final Countdown<\/h2>\n<p>The math is on Michel&#8217;s side. While the Patriots may be taking on a new quarterback in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DarnSa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Darnold<\/a><\/strong>, the Jets defense remains relatively the same. During the first matchup between the Jets and the Patriots this year, Michel ran for 133 yards and one touchdown. He would have run for more had he not been injured and kept off the field for a few plays. If he can repeat that performance, Michel will have no problem breaking 1,000 yards. Even if he finishes the game with zero touchdown, he&#8217;ll finish the season with six touchdowns &#8211; more than adequate for the first-round pick.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sony Michel&#39;s back seemed to get bent back. Trainers were looking at that area on the sideline. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Patriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Patriots<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oewuBaoLwZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/oewuBaoLwZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeGiardi\/status\/1066781391004868609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 25, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Running With Friends<\/h2>\n<p>Of course, there is one last hurdle for Michel to cross before breaking the thousand-yard mark: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BurkRe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Since Burkhead&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2018\/11\/26\/return-of-rex-burkhead-will-boost-new-england-patriots-rushing-corps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">return from Injured Reserve<\/a>, Michel&#8217;s load has lightened up. However, splitting carries with a healthy Burkhead could eat into the 116 yards Michel needs to cross the finish line. Then again, Burkhead hasn&#8217;t seen an average of more than 25 yards per game since returning from IR. Instead, he&#8217;s been used as an alternate to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=WhitJa02,WhitJa20&amp;search=James+White&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James White<\/a><\/strong>, whose rushing and receiving yardage has dropped significantly since Burkhead&#8217;s return. So while Burkhead could eat into Michel&#8217;s rushing game against the Jets, it seems far more likely that he&#8217;ll eat into White&#8217;s receiving game. If that&#8217;s an indication that the Patriots are saving White for their playoff stretch, then that&#8217;s just fine with us.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Name a better O line then the patriots&#8230;&#8230; I\u2019ll wait \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Gopats?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Gopats<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sony Michel (@Flyguy2stackz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Flyguy2stackz\/status\/1066833788167180288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 25, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Rookie Running Backs in Patriots History<\/h2>\n<p>Michel is far and away the <a href=\"https:\/\/officialize.com\/articles\/sony-michel-s-rookie-year-is-among-best-in-patriots-history\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best rookie running back<\/a> to ever take the field under head coach <strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong>. In 2006, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MaroLa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Laurence Maroney<\/a><\/strong> set a rookie rushing record of 745 yards &#8211; a feat that Michel has already surpassed. Another touchdown would put him over Maroney&#8217;s six rushing touchdowns, which Michel has already tied.<\/p>\n<p>Another breakout performance <a href=\"https:\/\/patriotswire.usatoday.com\/2018\/10\/15\/new-england-patriots-sony-michel-rookie-running-back-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">would thrust Michel<\/a> into the category of &#8220;Top Five All-Time Rushing Rookies&#8221; for the Patriots, joining players like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RussLe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leonard Russell<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/E\/EdwaRo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Edwards<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/StepJo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Stephens<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MartCu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Curtis Martin<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>He may not be the team&#8217;s all-time greatest rookie running back, but he&#8217;s earned his snaps. He&#8217;s arguably been the team&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2018\/07\/10\/new-england-patriots-x-factors-sony-michel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best draft pick<\/a>, outperforming his peers in a class that has been riddled with season-ending injuries.<\/p>\n<h2>Last Word on Sony Michel Against the Jets<\/h2>\n<p>In a back-and-forth game between the Jets and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/packers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers<\/a>, the Jets surrendered nearly 130 yards. They surrender an average of 126 rushing yards per game, and have allowed 16 rushing touchdowns through the season. Put simply: The Jets don&#8217;t have a run defense. Their up-and-coming quarterback can&#8217;t save them from the likes of Michel, White and Burkhead. Don&#8217;t expect <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BowlTo20.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Todd Bowles<\/a><\/strong> to be of much help either, considering he&#8217;s on the short list of coaches expected to be fired next week.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And the news that has been clear for weeks: The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Jets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Jets<\/a> are expected to fire coach Todd Bowles following the 2018 season. Story here <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GFgdqCLmx1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/GFgdqCLmx1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet\/status\/1079152154529669120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 29, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"TXMD_P4PTVF2r241TZd8eg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1074693416\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'TXMD_P4PTVF2r241TZd8eg',sig:'CZXXhyA_TYx9OSJ-3hTE6f9c3VPCv4WIRgAdRkzAlSQ=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1074693416',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sony Michel has rushed for more than 100 yards four times this year, and needs just 119 more yards to reach the thousand-yard mark in his rookie season with the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2508,"featured_media":55579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,54,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots","category-editorials","category-uncategorized"],"modified_by":"Dale Lavine, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2508"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}