Yet as the final seconds were ticking off the clock, it was Laurence Maroney who looked to be the most excited Patriot on the sidelines.
The TV cameras caught Maroney letting out his emotions, the most prominent of which was likely relief.
The running back’s stats were far from gaudy at the end of the game, but Maroney’s impact was essential to the success of the Patriots’ offense.
Maroney averaged 4.1 yards per carry, finishing the day with 82 yards. More important than the numbers was the indication that Maroney can be trusted — something that holds added significance in the absence of Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris.
The Patriots’ game plan clearly involved looking for Moss deep, but Moss might not have found any open space had it not been for Maroney’s first three touches of the game — runs of 10, five and nine yards. Following that nine-yard run, Brady hit Moss for a gain of 36 yards. Maroney scored on the next play.
Maroney was relatively quiet throughout the game, but he picked up 17 yards in a fourth-quarter drive that took 5:09 off the clock. It wasn’t flashy, and it didn’t make any highlight reels, but it was the type of play that winning teams need from their running back.
It was also the type of play with which Maroney has been slowly gaining consistency. He’s now scored in three consecutive games — the longest such streak since the end of the 2007 season, when he scored in six consecutive games. He may not repeat his 123-yard day against the Titans this year, but on this offense, he won’t need to. For the Patriots to operate their passing game at its highest efficiency, the running game needs to be good, not great.
While describing a former first-round draft pick as “good, not great” isn’t the type of excitement fans would hope for, it is enough for Tom Brady and the offense to be dynamic.
Heading into the game, most of the talk centered around Miami’s Wildcat offense. Coming out of the game, the talk centered around Moss. But somewhere in between was the performance of Maroney, who had an unheralded day that will go a long way for the Patriots.
