Dion Lewis leads way as Patriots' RBs set new league mark

FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots backfield entered some exclusive company this year.


Following another remarkable performance Sunday from Dion Lewis, New England’s 2017 running game became the first in league history since the 1989 Falcons and Jets to finish a regular-season where three different running backs ended up with at least 30 catches and 30 carries in the same year.

James White (40 carries, 56 catches) and Rex Burkhead (64 carries, 30 catches) managed to hit that mark prior to Sunday’s game. Against the Jets, Lewis had 26 carries for 93 yards and six catches for 40 yards, putting him at 180 carries and 32 catches for the season to complete the remarkable statistical milestone.

Lewis was the only one of the three who was good to go on Sunday, and he continued to serve as an electric offensive presence. Against the Jets, it was the fourth time in the last six games he was able to top 90 rushing yards, and it marked his third consecutive game with at least one touchdown.

The 27-year-old, who set career-highs in carries (180), rushing yards (896) and rushing touchdowns (six) in a season this year, has embraced the role of workhorse back.

“I like having the ball. I like helping my team win,” he shrugged after Sunday’s game. “They counted on me today, and I’ve just got to try and make plays for the team and have fun out there. I had a lot of fun out there.”

It’s been a long road for Lewis, who has been beset by injury throughout his career. That includes a 2015 knee injury that derailed an impressive season. This year, he’s finally getting a chance to show what he’s capable of when healthy. This year was the first season of his career where he was able to play 16 games.

“He’s earned everything he’s gotten, like everybody has. But he’s earned it,” Bill Belichick said of Lewis after Sunday’s game. “He’s gotten opportunities. He’s faced some setbacks along the way, but he’s always been pretty resilient. He’s had a great attitude. I think I’m certainly happy for it, but everybody is happy for the success that he’s had because of the way that he’s worked and the way that he competes. He’s given us that for basically every day that he’s been here.”

“It means a lot to me,” said Lewis of the chance to hit the 16-game mark for the first time in his career. “Just being out there and having the opportunity to be out there playing. Things haven’t always worked out that way in my career, so this year to be out there and be getting the ball as much as I have for the past two games; I’ve got to relish the moment and just embrace it.”

Lewis and his heroics this year aside, Belichick has always handled his running backs in a unique fashion — for example, he’s never had a running back rush for 1,000 or more yards in back-to-back seasons. But what he’s been able to accomplish this season with this multidimensional group is thoroughly impressive. Whether it was because of injury or personnel matchup, the Patriots have done well rotating all season long. And for a passing game that has had to deal with the loss of Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell this season, the multidimensional trio of Lewis, White and Burkhead have become more important than ever.

“Bill Belichick is like a boxer. That’s why he likes boxing — he understands that the season flows like a fight,” an NFC personnel man told me this week. “You throw the ball more early in the season, and you use your backs more late in the year, both in the ground game and passing game. If he doesn’t have to use them, he won’t, and he’ll save them the early hits at the start of the year.

“When it comes to Lewis, they don’t want to hit him at this time of the year. They just want to sit back and chill. Dion is running hard, man. But it all goes back to the way Belichick coaches. He’s one of the smartest there ever was, and that’s one of the reasons.”

Now, Belichick is looking to get back to the Super Bowl on the backs of a group of backs. After Sunday’s game, he sounds like a man who understands just how fortunate he has been this year when it comes to the performance of his backfield.

“We've had good depth this year. At times, we haven’t been able to get them all into the game,” he said. “At times, we've taken the guys that are healthy and they’ve played. But they’ve all given us good production — some guys on other downs besides the three offensive downs, (like) Dion returning kicks, Brandon (Bolden)’s role, Rex’s role in the kicking game.

“Those guys – they’ve all been productive. Hopefully, we'll have them all going forward. But whatever ones we have, they’ve all been productive for us.”