Patriots Running Back Trio Adds Extra Wrinkle to Offense

The New England Patriots have enjoyed their top rushing attack in three years this season. The backfield trio of LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Dion Lewis has been one of the greatest assets for the Patriots offense.

The 2016 season has been labelled the Revenge Tour as Tom Brady aims to lead the New England Patriots to another Super Bowl title, following his unnecessary four game DeflateGate suspension. Somehow overlooked though, is the play from Brady’s backfield. Running backs LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Dion Lewis (since his return) have been on a roll.

The team’s 1,872 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns are its most in three years. The trio is also leaving their mark in the passing game. Each back is complimentary to the next, and they’re all finding success in different ways.

"“I just think again they’ve done a great job of bringing in a very diverse group of running backs,” Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Tuesday.“It’s a very, very difficult challenge for us and it’s a difficult challenge for anybody that goes against them because of that group of guys. They’re all very good at what they do.”"

Blount of course, makes his presence known through his size, strength and power. At 6 feet, 250 pounds, he’s a bruiser. He’s also deceptively quick, and can out run a defender in open space. Blount’s had a number of long touchdown runs, including a 43-yard score on fourth and 1 against the Rams in which he juked his final defender to get into the end zone. On the year, Blount has 1,161 yards and a Patriots record 18 rushing scores.

"“Blount is a just a very, very big guy, but he’s got really good athleticism,” O’Brien said. “He’s very difficult to tackle. He never stops his legs. He’s always churning for extra yards.”"

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To compliment the size of Blount, the Patriots utilize two smaller backs, Dion Lewis and James White. White has now seemed to fill the third down pass catching void that was missing following Shane Vereen’s departure. He is often targeted on short passes and screens where he can use his skills to make yards after the catch. The Patriots have handed White the ball 39 times, but they’ve thrown in his direction 86 times. White has 166 yards on the ground and 551 yards and five touchdowns through the air.

"“Those guys had a lot more catches than they had carries, so it’s just a little bit of a different usage of the player,” Bill Belichick explained back in December. “Not saying those guys couldn’t carry the ball, not saying these other guys couldn’t catch the ball, but it’s a little bit different.”"

Dec 24, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (29) celebrates with tight end Matt Lengel (82) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Dion Lewis returned in Week 11 to play in the Patriots final seven games of the regular season. He has 283 yards rushing on 64 carries and 94 receiving yards on 17 catches and 24 targets. Lewis runs like a scatback, using his speed, agility, and low center of gravity to evade tacklers. He tends to work on the outside, with space to shimmy and shake outside the tackles. Recently however, the Patriots have begun running Lewis up the middle, and they’ve found some success.

Lewis has been on the field for 31.7 percent of offensive snaps since his return in San Francisco, playing more and more as the weeks have gone by. Belichick balked at acknowledging that Lewis’s workload has increased in his news conference Tuesday morning.

"“I think given the constraints that we had with his situation that he did the best that he could to get back, and we did the best we could to give him an opportunity to get back. It is what it is,’’ Belichick said."

The use of three backs in the postseason will only aid the team and the players. They’ll be able to remain fresh throughout the games, and will perform at their highest level. According to Texans nose tackle, and former Patriot, Vince Wilfork the backs will be, “very, very, very explosive.”

"“With those backs you can be attacked in all different kinds of ways. I think that’s one of the hardest things for a defense to prepare for, when you have multiple backs that can go in the game and be fresh going into a game,” Wilfork said. “It’s a handful.”"

Next: Blount Missing From Practice

The New England Patriots and their running back trio will take on the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

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