The New England Patriots have relied heavily upon cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebacker Jamie Collins and receiver Julian Edelman through 12 weeks of the NFL season. And those players were once again stellar in a 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But the Patriots enjoyed a pleasant surprise: running back Sony Michel began to power through an inefficient funk in 2019.
Michel entered the game at 3.3 yards per attempt, but managed 20 carries for 85 yards (4.3 ypc). Those figures, while humble compared to what he did during the playoffs after the 2019 season, were crucial while the Patriots passing offense struggled early in the game. Tom Brady finished completing 17 of 37 for 190 yards and a touchdown, but he took six quarterback hits and resorted to throwaways often. The veteran quarterback had to rely upon his rookie receivers, Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry, after Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and Phillip Dorsett (concussion) were ruled out before the game.
The Cowboys knew the Patriots wanted to run the ball. Dallas could clearly see that New England had issues running the ball throughout the season. And yet Michel put together a solid performance.
“Sony’s played well all year. I think he’s played well all year,” Bill Belichick said during a postgame press conference. “They’re a tough defense, they’re hard to run against. We chipped away and hammered out a few runs, but they got us a few times, too. So, a couple big runs at the end. That was obviously key in the final outcome of the game.”
Michel managed a role as a closer in the fourth quarter. On a second-and-5 with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots needed just one more first-down to drain the clock. That’s when Michel burst off a 12-yard run, which effectively ended the game. Michel managed that run behind left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who returned from injured reserve in Week 12. Wynn and Michel played together at Georgia, and joined the NFL together as Patriots’ first-round picks in 2018.
“He’s another piece to the puzzle,” Michel said of Wynn after the game. “He helps this team. He helps this offense try to accomplish the goal that we want to accomplish.”
That goal — presumably a Super Bowl win — will be easier if the offense continues to improve. That will surely start with Michel and the running game, which needs to make Brady’s life easier.
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