Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers continue to stake claim for larger role in Patriots offense

For as encouraging as his individual stat line was in the aftermath of the Patriots' crushing 24-21 loss to the Bills, Damien Harris wasn't going to expend much energy waxing poetic about his game on an afternoon where New England likely relinquished its best shot at righting the ship in 2020.

"Losing is very frustrating," Harris said. "I'm sure everybody on this call has lost something before and it's just not a good feeling. So the frustration levels are definitely high. Moral victories mean nothing in this organization. We're frustrated, I'm frustrated. Team is frustrated. So you just got to do better. I mean, there's, there's really no other way to put it, we just got to do better."

Cam Newton's last-minute fumble, heinous tackling and a porous run defense all factored heavily into New England's fourth consecutive loss (the first stretch of such futility since 2002), but the cherry on top of Sunday's defeat was that it spoiled a showing from the Patriots' offense that, for the first time in a long time, actually strung together some encouraging drives.

Granted, bemoaning a wasted effort from some of the Patriots' offensive personnel pales in comparison to the larger season-wide (and potentially franchise-altering) implications brought upon thanks to a loss like this.

But as New England looks to trudge its way through the rest of this 2020 campaign and look to the future, Sunday stood as a stark reminder that, even if the Pats' offense is still primarily stuck in neutral, there are still some diamonds in the rough in the form of both Harris and Jakobi Meyers — both of whom deserve larger roles on this club moving forward.

"Stepping stones, you know," Meyers said of his growing role in New England's offense. "We built on it, trying to be better every week and try to come out next week and try to do more than I did this week and just improve every day."

Harris, who closed out the afternoon with 102 rushing yards on 16 carries and his first career touchdown, has continued to shine his second full season with the Patriots. With additional reps up for grabs in the backfield with Sony Michel still on injured reserve, Harris has been one of the few bright spots on an already shorthanded offensive unit that was already lacking in premier talent.

Even beyond some of the encouraging underlying metrics when it comes to Harris' ability to fight through contact for additional yardage, Harris simply passes the eye test when it comes to staking his claim as a potential No. 1 back in the NFL ranks, with the Alabama product capable of piling up yardage under heavy usage thanks to a straight-line, hard-nosed style of attack.



Harris helped orchestrate both of New England's touchdowns in the second half, headlined by a 22-yard rushing score in the third quarter that stood as the Patriots' first stroll into the end zone since the fourth quarter of their Week 6 loss to the Broncos. Both Shaq Mason and Jakob Johnson cleared the way for Harris on his first-ever NFL touchdown, but the 23-year-old back rewarded their execution with a decisive run up the gut, making Dean Marlowe miss in the open field off a quick cut en route to the score.

"Jaks is actually like a six lineman," Harris said. "I mean, the guy just moves people out of the way. So you throw him into that category, very fortunate to run behind guys like that, that are willing to go out there and do whatever it takes just for us to be successful. I've said it time and time again, you know, it's great, but we still got to do more, we got to put together a better performance."

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While Newton was the one that capped off a seven-play, 72-yard drive in the fourth quarter with a two-yard scramble into the end zone, the previous four plays all ran through Harris, who racked up 39 yards on those four carries to put New England right on the Bills' doorstep once again.

Even when Michel is cleared to return, you'd be hard-pressed to find a compelling argument as to why Harris should be asked to hand the keys to the Patriots' rushing attack back to anyone else on New England's depth chart. After earning only four carries all of last season in what was essentially a redshirt season for Harris, the 2019 third-round pick is making good on the promise he's flashed for the last two seasons down in Foxborough.

Meanwhile, the writing was on the wall that Meyers was in line for some added reps and targets on Sunday afternoon, especially with both Julian Edelman (knee) and N'Keal Harry (concussion) out of commission.

But based on his showing up in Buffalo, you have to start wondering why the undrafted wideout wasn't handed these snaps earlier this season, even when guys like Harry were healthy and in the lineup. Meyers may not be flashy or boast game-changing speed, but the NC State product can run routes and snatch feeds from short and intermediate areas of the field.

Meyers hauled in six receptions for 58 yards on 10 targets Sunday, also snagging a pass from Newton for a two-point conversion following Harris' rushing score. Meyers very well could have padded his stat sheet even more had it not been for penalties, as an illegal hands to the face penalty against Mason negated a 15-yard pickup from the wideout in the third quarter, while a hold against Joe Thuney also took away another 17-yard reception for Meyers. (Meyers was also not completely without fault, as he was also whistled for a false start during Sunday's contest).

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After only logging 22 snaps through the first six weeks of the season, Meyers is making the most of the opportunity afforded to him with both Edelman and Harry on the mend. At this point, it's tough to argue with the results, given that Harry has only managed to eclipse Meyers' single-game receiving total on Sunday (58 yards) just ONCE so far this season. Regardless of returning personnel, Meyers rightfully deserves an expanded role on a Patriots offense in need of proven playmakers.

"(I) come to work every day, I try to practice as hard I can, be alert as I can in meetings, know everybody's responsibilities. God forbid we have a guy go down, I could jump in if they need me to," Meyers said. "Try to build trust with the coaches every day. So just trying to come in and be a better person, better player every day."

Even with some stronger showings from the likes of Harris and Meyers, this Patriots offense still has a lot to work on, regardless of the final score of Sunday's matinee matchup. Yes, the Patriots finally showed signs of life and marched down the field on multiple occasions, but this unit still has yet to record an offensive touchdown in the opening quarter all season, while a few encouraging individual performances don't offset Newton's failed execution in crunch time.

But, if the Patriots plan on salvaging anything this season, Sunday's film should at least offer a few glimpses of what this uneven, banged-up offense can put forth when it has a few cogs operating at a high level. Keeping both Harris and Meyers in the picture should continue to yield more promising results.

“I have just as much confidence as every person in this locker room as I would have if we won," Harris said. "I mean, we're in a tough spot right now. And we've dug ourselves a hole. But that doesn't mean we can't dig ourselves out. It doesn't mean that our season is over. If we don't believe in each other, then we don't have a chance. ... But it's not just about having faith. It's not just about having confidence in one another. You have to go out there and actually put the confidence, put the work in and display it on the field in order to have success."