FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots kept feeding the beast Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
LeGarrette Blount finished with a regular-season career-high 29 rushing attempts in New England’s 27-10 win at Gillette Stadium. It was a successful formula — Blount rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown — and it was a necessary formula on a day when fellow running back Dion Lewis suffered a knee injury and the Patriots’ offense looked out of sync at times (at least in comparison to its usual unstoppable self).
“Whenever my number is called, I just have to go out there and perform, do what I have to do,” Blount said after the victory, which improved the Patriots’ record to 8-0. “I prepare well every day. I make sure I’m ready whenever they need me to go out there and do what I have to do. It’s just the nature of this organization.”
Next man up. That’s the phrase several Patriots used to describe Sunday’s win, which came at a price. Linebacker Jamie Collins surprisingly was inactive because of illness, and the Patriots lost Lewis, offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer and safety Duron Harmon over the course of the game, testing New England’s depth.
The Patriots’ hope reportedly is that Lewis suffered only an MCL sprain — not worse — and the running back will avoid missing significant time. It’s also unlikely Blount will carry the football 29 times per game moving forward, as last season’s AFC Championship Game win over the Indianapolis Colts marks the only other time the six-year veteran has totaled that many carries in a single game. But Blount ran with conviction — surprise, surprise — in Sunday’s win, and the 28-year-old looks fully capable of handling whatever workload head coach Bill Belichick throws his way on a weekly basis.
“Every running back likes a lot of carries,” Blount said. “I don’t think any running back wants to get a couple of carries and get out.”
Blount’s performance against Washington marked his 10th career 100-yard rushing game in the regular season. It also was the first 100-yard rushing performance for the Patriots in a regular-season contest since Jonas Gray had 201 yards against Indianapolis on Nov. 23, 2014.
Losing Lewis for an extended period would be a huge blow to the Patriots. The offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, and the thunder-and-lightning nature of Blount and Lewis out of New England’s backfield is a major reason for the success. But if the last 15 or so years have shown anything, it’s that the Patriots will exhaust all options in their quest to not skip a beat.
Take Brandon Bolden, for instance. He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter Sunday to help ice the game after it was announced Lewis wouldn’t return.
“It’s unfortunate,” Blount said of Lewis’ injury. “Dion is probably one of my closest friends on the team. Obviously, he’s one of my guys. You just hope for the best. (But) Brandon is a great athlete. He can run it. He can catch it. He does all our (special) team stuff, and he steps in whenever it’s his time.”
Blount had a three-touchdown game earlier this season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s no stranger to rising to the occasion when the game plan calls for it. On Sunday, his number was called early and often. And Blount took the opportunity and ran with it. Literally.
“He ran great,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said. “He was putting his shoulder down, breaking tackles. He was a beast back there (Sunday). He did an excellent job.”
Sometimes, a “beast” is exactly what the Patriots need.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
