New England Patriots: Sony Michel shines against Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3

Sony Michel struggled the first two weeks of the 2020 season, but the New England Patriots finally got a great performance from the running back in Week 3.

So far in 2020 when it comes to the New England Patriots there was only one complaint, the Patriots couldn’t run the ball. Thanks to Sony Michel that changed in Week 3.

New England was struggling on the ground. Prior to Week 3, Cam Newton had been their leading rusher in each game. That just can’t happen.

The Patriots need Newton to stay healthy. If he gets hurt their season is over. New England wants Newton to stay in the pocket or hand the ball off as much as possible.

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Week 3 we finally saw what the Patriots running game was made of. Sony Michel led the way for the team as they ended up defeating the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Michel got off to a slow start but he finished the game strong. He only had nine carries but was able to rack up 117 yards.

The most important thing for Michel was that he wasn’t just gaining two or three yards. Sony averaged 13 yards a carry and broke out for long gains of 38 and 48 yards in the 3rd quarter.

That is the Michel that the Patriots need. Even if he is not scoring touchdowns the Patriots need him to gain yards like this. It’s unlikely that every game he will average double-digit yards per attempt, but you at least want to see Michel averaging close to four or five yards a carry.

It seems that Michel was a different player after he was briefly benched for undrafted free agent J.J. Taylor. Taylor had some quality carries and ended the day with the most on the team (11). It was promising to see Taylor succeed and also to see Michel respond.

What was even more promising was the fact that the Patriots were without their best running back and still put up these numbers. James White is mourning the loss of his father while his mother was in critical condition this past Tuesday. Rightfully football is the last thing on his mind.

Whenever White rejoins the team, the running backs will be even better and so will the entire offense. If Michel can put up 100 yards imagine what White can do?

But Michel finally showed what he is capable of in Week 3. The challenge for him will be showing that he can consistently put up quality numbers. That’s what the Patriots need out of Michel.

Michel was one of the brightest stars in Week 3, hopefully, this is just the start of a successful season for the running back.