Patriots' backfield shoulders offensive load in win over Falcons

FOXBOROUGH — This was the running game everyone envisioned this spring.

On Sunday night against the Falcons, the quartet of James White, Dion Lewis, Mike Gilislee and Rex Burkhead all combined to help take down the Falcons. On an evening where the New England passing game was a bit uneven — thanks in part to a soupy second half dominated by a surprise fogbank that rolled over the stands at Gillette Stadium — the Patriots’ ground attack was fierce. New England’s four backs combined for 162 yards on 36 carries, an average of 4.5 yards per carry.



It marked the fourth straight game where the Patriots were able to top four yards per carry as a team. Lewis (13 carries, 76 yards), Gillislee (eight carries, 31 yards), Burkhead (six carries, 31 yards) and White (four carries, 19 yards, one receiving touchdown) all had big moments as New England took an early lead, and behind its ground game, was able to pound the ball throughout the second half with relative ease as the Patriots put the contest away down the stretch.

No (LeGarrette) Blount Force Trauma? No problem.

“We were just being physical at the end,” said Lewis, whose 76 rushing yards were a season-high. “We talked about being physical in the running game, and there’s no better way (to be) physical (than) to close out the game in a four-minute situation.”

"We ran the ball really well ... really efficiently," said quarterback Tom Brady. "Guys ran hard and we really needed it. It was great to hand it off and see those guys rush the way they did."

It wasn’t only in the running game. White caught five passes and now has 38 on the season. He’s on pace for 87 receptions, which would break the franchise record for most receptions in a season by a running back. (Tony Collins had 77 in 1986.) He’s also on pace to be just the third New England running back in franchise history to finish with at least 60 catches and 60 carries in a season.

You combine White’s dynamic playmaking skills with the relative steadiness of the likes of Burkhead and Gillislee and the make-you-miss skills of a guy like Lewis, who appears to be all-the-way back after a devastating 2015 knee injury, and you have a stable of backs that are as varied as any team in the NFL.

“It’s great,” said Burkhead, who saw his first action since going down with a rib injury in Week Two. “We’ve got so many backs who can do multiple things. When you have that versatility, it really helps is out as an offense and as a unit, so we love that. We compete with each other, but we’re also the first ones there to root for one another when we make big plays, so it was fun tonight to see everyone get their foot in the door.”

“Everybody’s running hard,” said Lewis, “and doing whatever it takes to win.”