FOXBORO, Mass — If you were a betting man or woman, you probably would have picked againstĀ LeGarrette Blount having a big game Monday against the Baltimore Ravens.
But apparently neither Blount nor the Patriots got the memo.
The running back carved up the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense with 72 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, and he set numerous milestones in New England’s 30-23 win at Gillette Stadium.
Blount tied Curtis Martin’s single-season rushing touchdown team record with his 14th of the 2016 campaign when he muscled his way into the end zone near the end of the first quarter.
That run was especially important for the Patriots after their early offensive struggles.
āWe werenāt really clicking early,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “But, you know, that happens in football. Iām glad we found ways to make some plays. A lot of guys contributed — backs, tight ends. Offensive line played great, LG ran his ass off. So, big win for us.ā
But that wasn’t Blount’s only notable statistic from Monday’s game. He also set a new single-season career high when he became the 15th Patriot to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” running back James White said of Blount. ” I think the last person to do it was (Stevan) Ridley a couple years ago, so it’s a huge accomplishment. He’s been running hard and I’m really happy for him.”
As Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game, Blount has been incredibly consistent for the Patriots this season. He’s only rushed for under 50 yards in two games, and he’s had double-digit rushing attempts in each contest.
“He’s been there every day,” Belichick added. “A lot of his yards are tough yards but he’s also had some explosive plays through the course of the year, gained some yards for us in the passing game as well, which those aren’t runs but they’re kind of the same as runs if you will. He’s been very durable, very dependable. Ball security has been great so we have a lot of confidence giving him the ball. He’s done a good job for us.”
Make that a record-setting good job.
Thumbnail photo viaĀ Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
