New England Patriots team grades vs Tennessee Titans Divisional Round

The rushing offense for the Patriots was a little short-handed against the Titans. Rex Burkhead was held out despite some limited practices. Joining him on the sidelines was Mike Gillislee as well.

It didn’t impact the Patriots running game too much, as they got the job done. It wasn’t pretty at times, as the numbers aren’t great, but they did what they were asked to and helped keep the Patriots offense moving.

Dion Lewis led the way with 62 yards on 15 carries. Shockingly, the Patriots second-leading rusher was core special teams player, Brandon Bolden. With the game out of hand, Bolden was called upon near the end of the game and made the most of his opportunity.

Bolden finished the game with 27 yards on four rushes, including a touchdown. Bolden only received 13 carries in the regular season, 11 of which came in the final two games. The only games he had carries in where also blowouts, so he is kind of like a human victory cigar for the Patriots.

All in all, the Patriots ran the ball 27 times for 101 yards, averaging out to 3.7 yards per carry. They also had two rushing touchdowns. If you remove the three carries for -1 yards by Brian Hoyer kneeling at the end, the Patriots averaged a more respectable 4.2 yards per carry.