The New England Patriots’ run game is absolutely struggling, ranking dead last in the entire league in success rate for the second straight season. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially as they get ready for a huge divisional battle against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Seriously, this isn’t just a bump in the road; it’s a full-blown road block in their offense.
What The Heck Is Going On With This Run Game?
Fans are rightly frustrated, hitting up the mailbag with questions like, “Why haven’t we seen the positive impact of having a proven FB like Gilliam yet?” and “Why no outside runs utilizing Henderson’s speed?” And honestly, it’s not hard to see why they’re asking. Beyond the league-worst success rate, the Pats are also 24th in Rush EPA. You can’t just pin this on the running backs or the offensive line, though they’re not exactly blameless. The scheme itself hasn’t been helping by stressing defenses pre-snap with motion or any kind of real creativity. Instead, the Patriots are leaning heavily on “duo” this season, just hoping to push defenders off the line, but they’re repeatedly running straight into walls as defensive fronts are using line games to create total disruption. Adding to the headache, fullback Gilliam, who was supposed to be a big boost, is clearly hobbled. He’s been managing his workload all offseason, but now he’s officially on the injury report with a knee issue. That’s gotta be affecting his playing time and impact out there.
McDaniels’ Plan: More Time, Less Change?
So, what’s the plan to fix this mess? Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t looking to scrap things just yet. He said Thursday that he believes there’s still value in sticking with their current approach early in the season, pointing to a “very similar stage” last year where patience paid off. McDaniels explained that the run game takes time, especially with the limited padded practices in training camp. He thinks September and October essentially become an extension of that physical development, because “double teams and pads on a 330 lb. human being” take a lot of repetitions to master the proper technique and fundamentals. It’s not realistic to completely overhaul the scheme mid-season, so it sounds like the bet is on more “time on task” to produce better results. That said, there are definitely ways to add variety, like getting TreVeyon Henderson outside more often. He’s seen just 37% of his carries outside the tackles this season, way down from 49% last year. You’d hope to see both Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson hitting those edges more against the Bills defense this week.
It’s all on the line this week as they face Josh Allen and the Bills. They’ve gotta put that blowout loss behind them. The run game absolutely needs to step up, especially with Maye still figuring things out under center. Can McDaniels’ patience pay off, or will sticking to the course just dig them deeper into a hole? We’ll find out Sunday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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