ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Five thoughts about the performance of the Patriots running game on Sunday against the Bills:
1. New England ran for 191 yards as a team against Buffalo, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. (For what it’s worth, YPC is the total that Bill Belichick cares the most about when it comes to moving the ball on the ground.) It was the second straight week that the Patriots topped 190 rushing yards as a team — last Sunday against the Dolphins, New England had 196 rushing yards as a team. The last time the Patriots topped 190 rushing yards in back-to-back weeks? The tail end of the 2013 season, when New England had 267 rushing yards in the regular season finale against the Bills, and then 234 rushing yards in a divisional playoff win over the Colts. As a team, the Patriots are averaging 4.2 yards per carry. That includes Dion Lewis (at 5.3), Rex Burkhead (4.4 yards per carry) and James White (4.0 yards per carry). All three should have at least 50 carries this season; for some historical perspective, to have three or more backs finish with at least 50 carries in a season and average at least four yards per carry is extraordinary.
2. It’s important to note that the Patriots were running the ball against some light boxes for sizable portions of the afternoon, as the Bills were guarding against the idea of Tom Brady beating them. But there was some really impressive run blocking throughout the day by the New England offensive line. That includes a series of absolutely devastating blocks by right guard Shaq Mason. Mason, who came from a run-based offense as a collegian at Georgia Tech, arrived in the NFL with an impressive pedigree as a run blocker, but has really taken his game to a new level this season. In particular, there was one absolutely tremendous block from Mason that sprung Burkhead for a 31-yard run right before the end of the first half. With the weather starting to get colder and an increased reliance on the run game looming, the work of the offensive line as run blockers will become more important than ever. “It all starts with them,” Burkhead said of the offensive line after the game.
3. Last week, we praised Lewis for his evasiveness. This week, we’re going to praise his surprisingly sturdy approach, one which is best exemplified by this statement, via our pal Mike Reiss.
"I'm small but I'm not little." -- Dion Lewis
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 3, 2017
Dion Lewis just killed a guy pic.twitter.com/uKwvzqo6dw
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 3, 2017