Patriots gridiron news: Dion Lewis has worked his way back to 2015 form
Hard work and patience has led New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis back to the top of the team’s depth chart.
It wasn’t a solo 100-yard performance, but running back Dion Lewis led a New England Patriots rushing attack that ran for 118 yards in the teams 24-17 victory over the New York Jets Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Following a first-quarter fumble by starting running back Mike Gillislee, Lewis took over as the team’s lead rusher and took advantage of his opportunity. He rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown with an impressive 4.7 yards per carry.
It was reminiscent of his performance last season against the Denver Broncos when he led the ground attack with nearly a 100-yard performance. That was also just a few games after he returned from a ACL injury that kept him out the second half of the 2015 season and the first half of the 2016 season.
After rushing for 53 yards on just 11 carries in the Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lewis’ shiftiness, power and elusiveness we all feel in love with appears to be back at full strength. When asked if he is back to his 2015 form following the game, he referenced his performance on the field as evidence. He also said it was about getting the reps and finding a rhythm.
"“It’s pretty big, even if you’re not getting the ball,” Lewis said about getting into a rhythm. “It’s good just to be out there getting into the flow of the game. Whenever my number is called I have to make a play and show I’m capable.”"
Lewis will likely continue sharing the workload with Mike Gillislee. The two could give the New England Patriots a nice duel threat heading down the stretch of the season. With Rex Burkhead still battling an injury, it appears Lewis has worked his way back up to the top of the depth chart.
The next man up
With the New England Patriots short at cornerback entering the game, Johnson Bademosi was called on to step in for Stephon Gilmore.
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As a primary special teams player, Bademosi had not taken a single defensive snap with the team. On Sunday, he stepped up and played 72 total snaps yielding just two catches on two targets for 23 yards.
Of course, part of Bademosi’s success came due to the Jets not throwing his way. But he gave most of the credit to the coaching staff for preparing him to be ready.
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"“Our coaches do a great job of preparing us to play,” Bademosi said, via NESN. “Matty P (Patricia), Josh (Boyer), Steve (Belichick), all those guys prepare us to play every snap, so I was ready to go.”"
Tom Brady gets his 187th victory
It was fitting that Tom Brady became the all-time leader for most career regular-season wins by an NFL quarterback against the New York Jets. Not only has Brady battled against the Jets, it was a game against the AFC East rivals that led to Brady becoming the team’s record-setting quarterback.
We all remember that 2001 game in which Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game. At the time, no one would’ve predicted that a sixth-round pick would led the team to five Super Bowl victories and 187 regular season wins.
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The 24-17 victory broke a three-way tie previously held with both Peyton Manning and Brett Farve. With the majority of the season still remaining, Tom Brady will only add to that total.