New England Patriots: Grading the impact of Damien Harris in 2021

In looking back at the 2021 NFL season for the New England Patriots, there was one former Alabama player on the offensive side of the ball who carried the offense not named Mac Jones.  In fact, one could say third year running back Damien Harris was the MVP of the offense in 2021.

Predicted to have a breakout season prior to the season, Harris lived up to expectations despite not rushing for 1,000 yards.  With rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson sharing the rock most of the season, Harris didn’t have to put the weight of the team solely on his shoulders.

Damien Harris led the New England Patriots with a beast mode running style

But, with his strong downhill running style and strength to break tackles, Harris led the team in rushing with 929 yards and 15 rushing tackles.

He also led them in highlights, like this beast mode touchdown run against the New York Jets early in the season:

Talk about a force!

If it was not for injuries, it is hard to imagine Harris not rushing for over 1,000 yards with how he runs the ball with determination and purpose.  That determination did lead to a couple of fumbles in the season as his refusal to go down can cause defenders to strip at the ball, but in all, it looks like the Patriots have a top 10 running back in the NFL going forward.

Breaking the top 10 on the NFL.com running back index, analyst and former running back Maurice Jones-Drew talked about the touchdown machine known as Damien Harris as he ranked as high as No. 6 going into Week 18.

"“No matter how hard they try, defenses can’t seem to keep Harris out of the end zone,” Jones-Drew wrote, via NFL.com.  “With two scores last week [Week 17] against the Jaguars – he’s had five in the last two games – Harris is now tied for the second-most rush touchdowns in a season in franchise history with Curtis Martin, who logged 14 in both the 1995 and 1996 seasons.  Only LeGarrette Blount had more with a Patriots-record 18 in 2016.”"

As Harris ended the regular season with 15 rushing touchdowns, he did eclipse the mark set by Martin.  With another season under his belt, perhaps Blount’s record will be in jeopardy in the 2022 NFL season.

Grading New England Patriots running back Damien Harris

Again, if not for a couple of timely fumbles and injuries, Harris would’ve probably rushed for well over 1,000 yards in 2021.  Still, he should toughness and a winning spirit that will make him a player opposing teams will have to focus on when they face the New England Patriots going forward.

As a running back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield, the one thing, besides durability, Harris can work is catching more balls as he is a tough playmaker to bring down in the open field.  In all, the Patriots running back has earned a B+ as moving forward he will be a force taking handoffs from Mac Jones.

With Stevenson pushing him and challenging him for rushing attempts, Harris will look to take yet another step forward in his fourth NFL season and Patriots fans will certainly be all for it.