New England Patriots: 5 players with everything to prove Week 17
Sony Michel can still be an impact player for the New England Patriots
With Damien Harris ruled out for this Week 17 matchup against the New York Jets, Sony Michel will once again take on the lead back role.
If the New England Patriots running back still has a role for this team in the future, he will need another strong performance to show he shouldn’t be ruled out as the lead back in 2021.
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As much as Harris staked his claim to the role while he was healthy, Michel has shown the last couple weeks glimpses of how he ran the ball in his rookie season and a bust out of the backfield that shows exactly why he was drafted in the first round.
With injuries being his main roadblock the last two seasons, Michel didn’t breakout as predicted prior to the season. But, in rushing for 373 yards on 63 carries the limited time he has been on the field in 2020 shows he can still be an effective back.
He will need to show that and more against a Jets’ defense that has been good against the run. With over 7.0 yards a carry the last couple weeks, if Sony Michel is able to be productive, he may just stabilize his role with the team in 2021 and fall back in the good graces of Bill Belichick.
In that respect, the Georgia Bulldogs alum has everything to prove in the season finale.