FOXBOROUGH – Considering where the Patriots were the last two seasons, the offense is off to a great start.
The team enters this week tied for 12th in scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game. That’s an improvement from last year (17.0) and 2023 (13.9). However, there’s an area the Patriots know they need to get better: the run game.
This season, the Patriots are 27th in the league in rushing offense, averaging 95.2 yards per game. Their 3.75 yards per carry ranks them 28th in the NFL. Entering this week’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, the Patriots know they need to improve.
“Just keep working at it,” Mike Vrabel said. “It has to be better at the line of scrimmage, at the second level, and try to finish and break some of these. We’ve had some good runs, but not enough of them. We’ve got to stop talking about being one guy away, one block away.”
The Patriots struggled to run last weekend in Buffalo, amassing 71 total rushing yards. Leading rusher, Rhamondre Stevenson, is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson is averaging 3.8 yards per rush. This group also took a hit with Antonio Gibson (4.2 yards per carry) out for the season due to a torn ACL.
The Patriots next opponent, the Saints, has the 20th-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. They’re allowing an average of 122.2 rushing yards per game this season.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said he believes that for the Patriots offense to become more explosive, they need to run the ball more efficiently.
“I think we’re close in the run game. We’ve got some ones that are close to popping,” Maye said. “It’s a big emphasis every week to try and run the football. Those guys are doing a great job. I think just finish blocks a little longer. The backs are running good, so just finish blocks a little longer, and those guys are doing a great job.
“I think the run game, some big runs, is kind of what we’ve been missing a little bit with just being real explosive. I think those are coming in the near future.”
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