The best story of the New England Patriots’ season had an unfortunate plot twist.
Running back Dion Lewis, who emerged as a key cog in the Patriots’ offense after being out of the NFL for two seasons, reportedly was lost for the season with a knee injury during Sunday’s 27-10 win over the Washington Redskins. One of Lewis’ patented jukes finally did him in, as he cut to his left, landed wrong and leapt off his feet to grab his knee before falling to the Gillette Stadium turf in a heap.
Teammates Matthew Slater, LeGarrette Blount and Aaron Dobson, along with head coach Bill Belichick, came off the sideline to crowd around Lewis, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, their worst fears prevailed, and the Patriots’ offense will take a major hit.
Lewis, who finishes the season with 622 total yards and four touchdowns in seven games, was on pace for the best season by a Patriots third-down back in the Belichick-Tom Brady era. Now fans will have to wait until next season to watch Lewis, while New England will have to go back to the drawing board.
LeGarrette Blount likely will continue to see a heavy workload on the ground. He had 129 yards on 29 carries behind a depleted offensive line Sunday. He has just three targets on the season and 36 career catches, however, so he doesn’t figure to contribute much in the passing game.
The Patriots also have James White and Brandon Bolden, both of whom can be used as passing-down backs, behind Lewis on the depth chart. White has solid hands and quick feet, while Bolden has the advantage of size and experience in the Patriots’ offense. Bolden caught three passes for 27 yards and one touchdown after Lewis went down against the Redskins. White has seven catches for 52 yards on the season.
Lewis also offered consistency as a run blocker, and White or Bolden also are the best bets to step up in that department. Neither White nor Bolden has Lewis’ versatility, however. Lewis is a master of making the first defender miss with his agility, and he had the power to generate extra yards after initial contact.
Lewis made teams pay with big plays in the passing game when they shadowed him with a linebacker, but since he was such a threat on the ground, opponents were forced to stay in their nickel defense with three cornerbacks, two linebackers and two safeties, creating a mismatch somewhere in coverage.
If the three cornerbacks covered the three Patriots receivers, then the defense would have to decide whether to stick their strong safety on Lewis or tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots also would split out Lewis at wide receiver, which would force opposing teams to match up a cornerback, leaving a linebacker or safety on either Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola.
White and Bolden won’t command as much respect in the passing game until they consistently show they deserve it. Bolden beat a linebacker for a touchdown Sunday, but he’s easier to cover than Lewis, who’s smaller and shiftier.
The Patriots also could look to free agency to find another hidden gem. The Pittsburgh Steelers cut undersized, speedy running back Dri Archer on Friday, and he cleared waivers Saturday. Travaris Cadet, who was with the Patriots in training camp, also is available, and he has similar receiving skills as Lewis, though he’s not as experienced as a ball-carrier.
Lewis had the versatility to take on many roles in the Patriots’ offense. Now the Patriots will need to turn to multiple players to take over for Lewis, which isn’t ideal when they’re constantly looking to create uncertainty and unpredictability on offense.
The Patriots will be fine as long as they still have Brady and Gronkowski, but they’ll be less dangerous without Lewis in the backfield.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports
