The New England Patriots didn’t earn any style points, but they’re heading back to the Super Bowl after a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. The win gives the Patriots the opportunity to get back on top of the mountain after winning their last championship since 2018, but it with came a few glaring concerns, particularly in the New England backfield.
TreVeyon Henderson has been someone that’s played a key role in the Patriots’ march to Santa Clara, running for 911 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. But his decline in the playoffs has been a big storyline and it grew even into an even bigger one on Sunday when he received just three carries for five yards in the victory.
With the Super Bowl looming, the Patriots’ trust in Henderson is clearly declining, which presents big issue as they prepare to battle for a championship in two weeks.
TreVeyon Henderson’s Disappearing Act Big Storyline Ahead of Super Bowl LX
Henderson’s decline began in the first two playoff games when he ran 21 times for 52 yards. While he also caught two passes, he only gained seven yards, bringing minimal production despite being in an even timeshare with Rhamondre Stevenson in those games.
On Sunday, Mike Vrabel and his staff had clearly seen enough. Henderson didn’t get his first carry until there was 2:20 left in the first quarter. After gaining four yards on that play, Henderson didn't have another carry until a four-yard gain with 11:38 left in the third quarter, and he was tackled for a three-yard loss on the following play.
While Henderson was stuck in the doghouse, Stevenson received 25 carries, which dwarfed his previous season high of 18 during the Oct. 19 win over the Tennessee Titans. While he received his biggest workload of the year, he didn’t have much success, gaining 71 yards. His 2.8 yards per carry were dismal, though the weather did New England's rushing attack zero favors.
It also was likely a matchup-dependent outcome, as the Broncos had the NFL’s second best rushing defense during the regular season at 91.1 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry. But it creates an even bigger concern entering the Super Bowl.
While the Patriots should see much better weather than they saw in Sunday’s snow-filled contest, they’ll face another top-tier run defense with the Seattle Seahawks ranking third in rushing yards allowed per game (91.9) and the Los Angeles Rams ranking 12th there (110.8)
There’s also an explosive play element that’s missing from New England’s offense when Henderson can’t get going, with just 206 total yards of offense generated in Sunday’s win.
With the possibility of wearing out Stevenson, the Patriots need Henderson to catch his breath and get back in the good graces of the coaching staff. But at this point of the year, Henderson may have hit the rookie wall and may not be able to be a factor when New England kicks off in two weeks.
As a result, Terrell Jennings' impending return might carry even more importance for Mike Vrabel as he tries to determine who to put his trust in on the game's biggest stage.