The New England Patriots had the top rusher in five of their first six games, but they haven’t had much success running the ball since their Week 7 bye.
“Yeah at times it has been up and down this year,” Patriots guard Logan Mankins told New England reporters Thursday.
However, because the Patriots are obviously a pass-first offense, the quality of runs isn’t as important as quantity, because they’re going to pick up yards through the air regardless.
The rushing attack for a team like New England exists to keep defenses honest and pick up a decent chunk of yardage every now and then, or to pound it in on the goal line.
“As long as you get a lot of carries, you give yourself a good chance to win the game,” Mankins said.
New England rushed the ball 28 times against the New York Jets last Sunday – 25 if you don’t count quarterback Tom Brady’s carries, which are almost never designed.
“Last week, I liked the way we ran the ball,” Mankins said. “The outcome wasn't as good as we wanted, not as many yards. … They were trying to stop the run too. They had guys down there – played a lot of five man fronts so they didn't want us to run the ball and we kept trying to run the ball so that's always good."
Tweet
Follow Nick @NickStDenis
