The New England Patriots entered Week 18 having punched their ticket to the playoffs as AFC East champs. Now with the 2-seed officially theirs after Sunday, New England has some things to figure out on the postseason side.
One question that the Patriots must answer between now and the start of the playoffs pertains to its backup running back spot. Terrell Jennings recently served in the RB3 role, but it's been D’Ernest Johnson as of late with the former sidelined.
Jennings hasn’t played since Week 13 after he was placed on injured reserve with a concussion on Dec. 13. With Jennings sidelined, New England turned to Johnson, who was on the practice squad, and has played in the last three games.
However, the 24-year-old Jennings could be on his way back in the near future. In his weekly notes column, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote that Jennings is eligible to practice next week, and he was present in the Patriots’ locker room during media availability, pointing to him be ready for a return if the Pats decide to go down that route.
Terrell Jennings' Possible Return Brings Risk for Patriots in Playoffs
Before Jennings got banged up, the former undrafted free agent solidified himself as the Pats’ RB3 this season. For most teams, the third-string running back doesn’t get much attention.
However, the former Florida A&M standout made a lot of noise in the preseason, but he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster in August. Jennings eventually found his way to the active roster in October.
Jennings hasn’t seen much playing time on offense (39 snaps), but has made do with the work he has gotten. This season, the 6-foot, 217-pound running back has racked up 73 yards on the ground and a touchdown on 23 carries. Jennings scored his first career TD in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons, when New England was without Rhamondre Stevenson.
That being said, Johnson hasn’t done much since being called up from the practice squad last month, with five yards on four carries in his past three games. He did show a little more juice against Miami, turning five totes into 13 yards, giving him some positive momentum before a possible postseason role.
If you’re Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, you wouldn’t be wrong to go with Johnson, given that he’s been active over the last month and contributing on offense and special teams. Meanwhile, Jennings is coming off an apparently serious head injury and a bit of unknown if he's thrown into the fire as soon as he's eligible to return from IR.
However, Jennings has shown more on the ground when given the opportunity, especially if one of the team's top two RBs (Stevenson or TreVeyon Henderson) were to go down in the playoffs.
That may ultimately give Jennings the edge despite the post-injury risk, but there's no clear best answer for Vrabel and co.