TreVeyon Henderson proved he can shift gears, grinding for tough yardage in Thursday night’s win vs. the Jets
“I think he’s been consistent, day-in day-out, even those times maybe when he wasn’t producing like everybody thought,” said tight end Hunter Henry. “He’s still learning a lot week after week, but obviously, he’s playing some really good football for us.”
In the 28-23 victory against the Buccaneers last week, Henderson’s performance was electric, breaking off second-half touchdown runs of 55 and 69 yards.
Against the Jets, Henderson showed a different, more physical facet. He bullied his way in for a pair of red-zone rushing touchdowns in the first half, bursting into the end zone from 7 yards out at the start of the second quarter, then again before the half. Both were the result of big goal-line formations the Patriots were able to feature. Teammates called it a “power-push touchdown” because Henderson got a boost from his offensive line on the way to the end zone.
“Everyone knows how fast he is, but people don’t realize how hard he runs,” said center Garrett Bradbury. “He’ll run through your face, too.
“Coach always says when you get an opportunity, take advantage of it and you’ll get more opportunities,” Bradbury added. “That’s a perfect case of it. I mean, with Rhamondre [Stevenson] down [with a toe injury], we needed [Henderson] to step up, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson was elusive in the open field, forcing a career-high nine missed tackles.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
According to Next Gen Stats, Henderson forced a career-high nine missed tackles across 24 touches, while playing on 56 of 62 (90 percent) of offensive snaps.
“Really, the first two touchdowns, [were] all because of my offensive linemen,” Henderson said. “I got to give those guys credit. They make my job easier. Those guys put in the dirty work, and so I really give the credit to those guys, I’m really thankful to be playing alongside those guys, running behind those guys, and just playing on this team.”
TreVeyon Henderson showed his offensive versatility by hauling in a 6-yard TD pass from Drake Maye in the third quarter vs. the Jets.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
In the third quarter, Henderson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass — the first receiving touchdown of his nascent NFL career — to help power the Patriots to a 21-7 lead.
In the end, Henderson led the Patriots with 62 yards on a career-high 19 carries. It wasn’t the glittering statistical line (14 carries, 147 yards, 10.5 yards per carry) he enjoyed against the Buccaneers, but it certainly continued to advance his case to get more reps.
With Henderson, it’s important to note it’s not always all about the yardage. His presence in the backfield impacts other parts of the offense. It wasn’t the only reason why quarterback Drake Maye was incredibly efficient again — he didn’t throw an incomplete pass until the late stages of the second quarter, and went 25 of 34 for 281 yards and a TD — but it wasn’t coincidental.
By way of example, a 22-yard completion to Diggs in the fourth quarter was set up at least partially because of a nifty play-action fake to Henderson.
For his part, Stevenson, who has missed back-to-back games, appeared to be getting closer to a return this week. He took a big step forward Tuesday when he was spotted running and cutting at practice. Given the Patriots have a mini-bye after Thursday’s win, it wouldn’t be out of the realm to see Stevenson back in game action before the end of the month.
But what happens if Henderson keeps racking up the yardage? Part of his heavy workload was out of necessity more than anything else. With Stevenson ailing, Antonio Gibson out for the rest of the season, and Terrell Jennings dealing with a knee issue, Henderson was the last man standing.
At the very least, if the Patriots decide to hand the job back to Stevenson, Henderson has earned more than the extremely limited role he had at the start of the year. Ultimately, the case can be made that if Henderson continues to keep the arrow pointed in the right direction, he could join New England’s Hall of Legendary Hendersons — one that includes Gerald, Dave, and Mark — sooner rather than later.
“He’s executed, whether that’s check downs or the touchdown in the back of the end zone,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “No home runs tonight, but I thought he grinded out pretty much what was there.”
TreVeyon Henderson had praise for a higher power after his three-touchdown performance.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.
