Patriots RBs Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead surging at perfect time as playoffs near

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FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots offense finally showed signs of life in Saturday's 24-17 win over the Buffalo Bills, and one particular area that impressed was the rushing attack.

The defending Super Bowl champions ran for 143 yards on 35 carries (4.1 yards per rush) versus a very good Bills defense that entered Week 16 giving up the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game.

Second-year running back Sony Michel led the way with a season-high 96 yards on 21 carries (4.6 per rush), while veteran Rex Burkhead picked up 20 yards on five carries to go along with his team-high 77 receiving yards. 

Burkhead scored the lone rushing touchdown for New England, and he showed tremendous strength to bounce off a tackle and get into the end zone for what ultimately was the winning score.

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"What a great run on the goal line," Patriots center Ted Karras said of Burkhead's touchdown. "My goodness, that was great. Rex is awesome, been a huge part of this team. That was a gutsy run."

One of Burkhead's best attributes is his versatility. He's capable of carrying the ball and picking up big chunks of yards on the ground, especially in short-yardage situations on third and fourth downs. Burkhead also is able to serve as a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He's tallied six receptions on six targets for 83 yards over the last two games.

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This level of versatility adds valuable unpredictability to the Patriots offense because the defense can't squarely focus on just one aspect of Burkhead's skill set. 

"He's a very versatile running back," Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said of Burkhead. "He does a lot of things well. When he's in the game, they can run or pass, there's no real tell on what their offense wants to do. He's just a complete, old-school football player. He does well in pass protection, he can go out of the backfield and run all the routes, runs the ball really well. He's a really good all-around player. Those are the types of guys the Patriots normally have. They have a lot of guys like Rex, but obviously he's one of those guys that stands out, and whatever they ask him to do, he goes out and performs at a high level."

Similar to Burkhead, Michel's resurgence is very much an encouraging sign for the Patriots offense. There's no question Michel has underperformed in his sophomore season following an excellent rookie campaign during which he played a key role in the team's Super Bowl LIII triumph.

The University of Georgia product has run quite well over the last two weeks, gaining 89 yards (4.7 per carry) in Week 15 versus the Bengals and 96 (4.6 per carry) against the Bills on Saturday. In fact, Michel has picked up 89 or more rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time all season.

The Patriots offense has struggled to run the football most of the 2019 season. A lot of factors have played a role in these issues, including injuries throughout the offensive line and Michel's own disappointing performance, among other reasons.

It was quite clear Saturday that when the Patriots are running the football effectively, it makes quarterback Tom Brady's job in the passing attack so much easier. Brady completed 26 of 33 passes for 271 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions, thus ending his streak of eight games with a QB rating below 100.

The Patriots are not a high-scoring team. They entered Saturday having scored just 20.3 points over their last six games. It's unlikely they will win a shootout against the Baltimore Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, so the key to success might be a combination of dominant defense and a rushing attack that allows New England to win the time of possession battle.

This formula worked wonders for the Patriots in the playoffs last season, and it's a recipe the coaching staff should work up again as January nears.

"We pride ourselves on running the football," Michel said. "We have a lot of versatile guys who can do many things. Rex is one of them and James (White). We just pride ourselves on getting going in the running back room. If we get going, the team will get going."

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