Sony Michel had a fantastic rookie season for the New England Patriots and it will be interesting to see what he can do to follow it up.
The New England Patriots must have been pleasantly surprised with the production of Sony Michel in 2019. Quickly the running back became one of the most important players on the team.
New England isn’t exactly known for their running game. When you have the greatest quarterback to ever play the game it doesn’t make sense to invest in the position.
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When the Patriots selected Michel in the 1st round of the 2018 NFL Draft it was kind of a surprise. It seemed like the perfect time for New England to take a quarterback to replace Tom Brady when he eventually decides to retire.
The risk definitely paid off. Michel had a great rookie season. He ran for almost 1,000 yards and had 6 touchdowns.
Michel is a fun running back to watch. He blows by defenders and isn’t afraid to run them over. Some running backs can anger you with their refusal to run up the middle, but Michel loves contact.
2019 will be a good test for Michel. Will he continue to improve or will he take a step back? Anyone can have one great season, but can that success be maintained.
I for one have some high expectations for Michel so let’s look at 3 bold predictions for the running back in 2019.
1. Sony Michel will run for 1,500 yards.
This may seem like an extremely crazy goal for a New England Patriots running back, but if anyone can do it I think it’s Michel.
Last season Michel ran for 931 yards. 1,500 yards might seem like a steep increase, but Michel only did this in 13 games. If he is able to stay healthy imagine what he can do.
The New England Patriots offense will be much different in 2019. With the loss of Rob Gronkowski I expect the offense to be much more balanced.
Michel will have to share carries with Rex Burkhead and Jeremy Hill, but he is far and away the premier ball carrier. With New England relying more on the run, Michel will get plenty of carries.
James White has also established himself as more of a receiver than a running back. He won’t be taking up a ton of carries.
So as long as Sony Michel can stay healthy there is a good chance that he reaches 1,500 yards.
2. Sony Michel will have 15 touchdowns
Once again Sony Michel’s absence for some part of the regular season has to be taken into consideration. He was able to have an amazing season and he only started 8 games.
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One of the only areas where New England and Michel struggled was in the red zone. At times it seemed like there was a force field around the end zone.
Michel has the perfect game for the red zone. He should just be able to run right up the middle and cruise in.
This season I think that Michel’s red zone woes will go away. The Patriots will be relying on him to score and with his work in 2018 he deserves the majority of the carries.
When pairing the fact that he missed a good chunk of the regular season and struggled in the red zone I think we will see Michel’s touchdown output increase quite a lot in 2019.
3. Sony Michel will be a part of the passing game.
This honestly might be the boldest of all my predictions.
Last season Sony Michel struggled to catch the ball out of the backfield. It seemed like he couldn’t catch anything.
Now the Patriots will need all the help they can get in the passing game with Rob Gronkowski out of the picture. Also New England’s wide receivers are in a state of flux. Besides Julian Edelman there is a lot of unpredictability when it comes to the position.
So I expect to see Tom Brady checking down to his running backs quite a lot in 2019. Now obviously this will include a healthy dose of James White, but I expect to see Sony Michel get into the mix.
There is no doubt that after his amazing rookie season that expectations will be high in 2019, but if he reaches these goals New England Patriots will still be in love with him.