MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Julian Edelman played a full 16-game regular season, but it didn’t always come easy for the New England Patriots wide receiver.
Edelman didn’t look like himself — likely because of a lingering foot injury from the 2015 season — before the Patriots’ midseason bye week, catching 41 passes for 358 yards with one touchdown through New England’s first eight games. He turned it on in the second half, however, with 57 catches for 748 yards and two touchdowns, including eight receptions for 151 yards with a touchdown in the Patriots’ 35-14 Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins. He finished the season with 98 catches for 1,106 yards and three scores, setting a career high in yards.
“When you set goals and you achieve them, it’s always great, but once you achieve them, you have to set new goals and now we’re on to a new season,” Edelman said Sunday. “It was definitely great to get through 16, and I’m looking forward to this next one.”
Edelman’s second half was so good, it alone would have led the Patriots in receiving.
Edelman is playing his best football at the right time, and he has the added responsibility of returning punts in the postseason. The Patriots will have to keep knocking on wood and hoping his health holds up.
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images
