{"id":150087,"date":"2025-12-27T17:29:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T22:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=150087"},"modified":"2025-12-27T17:29:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T22:29:22","slug":"patriots-run-game-becoming-a-strength-ahead-of-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/patriots-run-game-becoming-a-strength-ahead-of-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots Run Game Becoming a Strength Ahead of Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Patriots\u2019 ground game has pulled off an impressive 180 in recent weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the first two months of the season, New England\u2019s offense ranked in the bottom ten of virtually every rushing metric. Their overhauled line looked disjointed, <\/span>Rhamondre Stevenson\u2019s<\/b> fumbling woes resurfaced, and <\/span>TreVeyon Henderson<\/b> was still adjusting to NFL speed. Making matters worse, <\/span>Antonio Gibson<\/b> suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 after looking like the backfield\u2019s best player.<\/span><\/p>\n

Henderson\u2019s mid-season ascent brought a much-needed spark to the backfield\u2014and led to a November Rookie of the Month nod\u2014but boom-or-bust blocking and a toe injury to Stevenson kept the run game from being a consistent threat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Players and coaches often referenced \u201ctime on task\u201d when asked about these struggles, which proved to be an accurate assessment before the bye week.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots haven\u2019t run often since Week 13, and negative plays remain a concern, but their rushing offense has been incredibly efficient over that span.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Henderson\u2019s ascent has been crucial to this turnaround, and he’s produced like one of the league’s best backs since Week 8. <\/span><\/p>\n

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That said, the offensive line has shown noticeable improvement, especially on the right side, and Stevenson has looked as physical as ever since returning from injury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, with Mack Hollins<\/strong> on injured reserve, Kayshon Boutte likely out with a concussion, and a playoff push on the horizon, there\u2019s no better time for New England to lean on the run and take some pressure off their sophomore quarterback.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a better idea of what\u2019s fueled the ground game\u2019s comeback, let\u2019s dive into some of the offense\u2019s top concepts over the last three weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DUO<\/b><\/h2>\n

Duo is a downhill concept that creates vertical push by maximizing double teams at the point of attack.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This McDaniels staple is typically run from under-center with fullback <\/span>Jack Westover<\/b> or a third wide receiver on the field. Depth linemen <\/span>Thayer Munford<\/b> and <\/span>Ben Brown<\/b> have also served as sixth offensive linemen to provide additional push.<\/span><\/p>\n

Backs looked like they were running into a brick wall on duo for most of this season, but it\u2019s been successful on at least half of the Patriots\u2019 attempts in each of the past three games. The offense hadn\u2019t hit that mark since Week 8 against the Browns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duo isn\u2019t known for generating explosives, but repeated blows have led to some big plays late in games. Take this 21-yard touchdown run from last week in Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots come out in a jumbo set with Munford as the in-line tight end, Hunter Henry beside him at flanker, and Stevenson behind an offset Westover. The Ravens, having seen this look and play twice already, send out their 6-1 defense and load up in that direction.<\/p>\n

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