The New England Patriots have quickly found success, logging a 6-2 record. Despite winning five straight games, the Patriots haven't found a way to use TreVeyon Henderson consistently.
But based on Thursday's practice, he may be given a lifeboat in Week 9. According to Patriots reporter Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) wasn't present at practice while the media was there.
Rhamondre Stevenson Wasn’t Spotted at Patriots Thursday’s Practice
This was the second straight day that Stevenson wasn't available for practice, which puts his status for Week 9 in serious doubt. If he can't give it a go, Henderson could be in line for an extended role against the Falcons.
The Ohio State product has logged 165 total snaps for the Patriots, which is second behind Stevenson's 316 snaps. Despite playing in 151 fewer plays than Stevenson, Henderson has 228 rushing yards, compared to Stevenson's 279 rushing yards.
Last week against the Browns, Henderson finished with a career-high 75 rushing yards on 10 carries, but he did lose a fumble. Anytime you put the ball on the floor, it puts a bad taste in the coaching staff's mouth.
And since Henderson has played 30% or less of the snaps in the last three games, it makes you think, why will they lean on him if Stevenson can't go?
But frankly, the answer is yes. The Patriots already lost Antonio Gibson for the season with a knee injury, so the only option New England can lean on is Terrell Jennings, who has 33 rushing yards on the season.
The 23-year-old Henderson has explosiveness that flashed during the summer, and fans are itching to see what he puts on the field on game days. He displayed some of that against the Browns, but the Falcons could be his next option to do something.
He may have a chance to make something shake against Atlanta, as they are 21st in the league in run defense (126.4).
What he does with these reps is major and could springboard him into more snaps going forward. Mike Vrabel has made it known that he'll continue to lean on Stevenson when he's on the field, but with him trending towards missing this contest, Henderson will get a golden opportunity to prove himself. It'll be interesting to see how the injury report falls out throughout the rest of the week, but the way it's looking, Henderson could be in line for a major boost in snaps on Sunday.