EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — David Andrews was taken aback.
Asked about wanting to establish the run at this time of year — in the cold of the post-Thanksgiving rush to the postseason — he smiled, wiping sweat from his brow after the 27-13 win over the Jets.
“Cold. What game were you at? It was hot today,” he said with a smile.
Yes, the temps at MetLife were in the 50s. But Sunday felt like a chilly, late-season game, a contest where the Patriots needed a dose of physical football to close out the Jets. Consider the fact New England piled up 215 rushing yards on 36 carries, and would have had somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 rushing yards if it wasn’t for some ticky-tack flags courtesy of Shawn Hochuli’s officiating crew.
“We probably would have had a 300-yard game,” explained left tackle Trent Brown if it wasn’t for the self-inflicted damage.
The last time the Patriots had that much yardage on the ground? When Jonas Gray (remember him?) powered a ground attack that finished with 246 rushing yards in a Nov. 2014 win over the Colts.
Sony Michel said Bill Belichick challenged the Patriots this week to be able to run the ball consistently, and they rose to the challenge. Two weeks after New England was held to 40 yards on the ground in an embarrassing loss in Tennessee, the Patriots’ offense responded with as physically imposing a performance as we’ve seen all season. New England averaged 6 yards per carry and got 10 first downs or touchdowns while running the ball. It was a bruising afternoon.
“That’s just us being able to play Patriot football,” said Michel, whose 133 rushing yards were the most by a Patriots rookie since Brandon Bolden had 137 at Buffalo on Sept. 30, 2012.
“We want to be physical,” said Michel, who was banged up a bit in the second half but came back to finish things out down the stretch. “When you’re physical, you can run the ball, you can throw the ball. It’s almost like you control the line of scrimmage and do what you want to do. Coach (Josh) McDaniels has a great plan and we’re excited to go out there and just execute it.”
“We always try and be physical — establish the run game, establish our dominance. It doesn’t always work out like that,” said Brown. “But when you get to running the ball good, it opens up a lot of stuff.”
“I think our success is determined if we come in each week, practice hard, run the football (and) be the more physical football team,” explained Andrews.
A lot of it also had to do with the fact that this was as complete an offensive ensemble as we’ve seen this season. Tom Brady, James White (9 carries, 73 yards), Michel, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were all on the field. Gronkowski and Edelman were able to play off each other, and their presence opened things up for the running game. And there was also the fact the Patriots had their starting offensive line go wire-to-wire for the first time since the win over Kansas City.
“The linemen blocked their tails off today and Sony and James were able to make plays,” said Edelman, who had four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. “That sets up a lot. That’s complementary football. It was good to have that.”
Makin' moves.
31 yards for @Flyguy2stackz #NEvsNYJ | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/pcTF6ggNAw
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2018
Off and running.@Flyguy2stackz | #NEvsNYJ | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/C0QHgZBBJC
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2018