New England Patriots: 5 observations from the AFC East clincher

Running is the name of the game

The game ball for Sunday’s 24-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills go to the offensive line and the way the team ran the ball.

With 273 yards on the ground on 47 carries, the New England Patriots set the tone for the game right off the bat.  Behind the strong running of Sonny Michel, Rex Burkhead, James White and a couple of sweep plays by Cordarrelle Patterson, the Patriots showed they can run the ball and win games when Tom Brady is off.

White, who had a 27-yard touchdown run, talked about how good it feels for the team to turn to a physical style of football on the offensive said of the ball to win football games.

"“I think the offensive line, it starts with them and they did a great job today of being physical, the tight ends, receivers,” James White said.  “It’s not easy as much as we ran the ball today to keep doing the right things, keep being physical for that many plays, but they did it.  We had a lot of rushing yards.  Sony [Michel] ran hard, Rex ran hard, and I tried to run hard when I got the ball.  I mean, just a great team effort.”"

Speaking of the rookie, Sony Michel looked good in finding holes and knocking off some big runs.  Overall, the Georgia product rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown.  He has now run for 881 yards on the season and is in striking distance for a 1,000-yard season despite missing a few weeks due to injury.