FOXBOROUGH — On paper, New England’s running back room is one of the team’s greatest strengths, but the Patriots weren’t able to run the ball effectively in the season opener.
Josh McDaniels’ group picked up just 60 yards on 18 carries in a 20-13 loss to the Raiders.
On Thursday morning, the offensive coordinator was asked what he learned about Rhamondre Stevenson (7 carries, 15 yards), TreVeyon Henderson (5 carries, 27 yards), and Antonio Gibson (1 carry, 3 yards) during Week 1. McDaniels offered a light-hearted response.
“They need the ball more,” McDaniels said, putting his hands up. “That’s the best way to say it.”
Neither Stevenson nor Henderson was given a second half carry as the Patriots watched a 10-3 lead slip into a 20-10 deficit. After falling behind in the third quarter, New England pivoted almost entirely to the passing game. The offensive coordinator shouldered the blame for that.
“I try to learn from each experience,” McDaniels said. “I love the guys in that room. They work really hard. They can do a lot of different things — and I thought they did some things — but the way the game ended up going, we got sidetracked in the third quarter and then the game changed a little bit. So yeah, I can do a better job."
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