FOXBOROUGH — With Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined due to a toe injury, TreVeyon Henderson has run with New England’s No. 1 running back gig.
Five days after scoring twice against the Buccaneers, Henderson found the end zone three times in Thursday night’s 27-14 win over the Jets. It was the eighth win in a row for the Patriots, who improved to 9-2.
Henderson ran the ball 19 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns, and added five receptions for 31 yards and another touchdown in the passing game.
Though Henderson found pay dirt three times, Mike Vrabel didn’t even believe those were the rookie back’s best plays of the night.
“I would say the best couple of runs he had were there late in the game when it was tough sledding, and we’re in five-minute (offense), and they know we’re going to run, and they’re blitzing and everything else,” Vrabel said. “Looked like we were going to be short, and he’s able to knife through there and keep his pads down and pick up a huge first down.
“He’s executed, whether that’s a checkdown or the touchdown in the back of the end zone. No home runs tonight, but I thought he grinded out pretty much what was there. He’s helped us a lot of ways tonight and saw the pile push touchdown, which was really cool.”
After Henderson hit a pair of home runs in Tampa Bay and logged two of the NFL’s three fastest runs of the week by top speed, center Garrett Bradbury appreciated the back flashing his ability to lower his shoulder against the Jets, too.
“He’s running hard. Everyone knows he can outrun you, but what people are seeing, he’ll run through your face, too,” Bradbury said. “I thought he had an awesome night. A lot of good energy.”
After a slow start to his rookie season, Henderson is coming on strong as the year wears on — and now he’s got five touchdowns in five days to prove it.
“It’s a journey, the NFL comes with a lot of highs and lows,” Henderson said. “I think the biggest thing is preparation going into the week and with the reps that we have, just trying my best to take advantage of them. Continuing to try and grow and get better as a player. My running backs coach (Tony Dews) does a good job of pushing us, Coach Vrabel does a good job of pushing everyone. I think preparation is key.”
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