New England Patriots: Dion Lewis has chance to impress teams in Super Bowl 52

In Super Bowl 52, New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis will have a chance to impress on a national stage as an upcoming free agent.

Without a doubt, one of the most important players for the New England Patriots this season was running back Dion Lewis.

In the offseason, the Patriots went out an acquired two new running backs in order to help spark their rushing attack. During the 2016 season, the Patriots relied on LeGarrette Blount to be their workhorse in the backfield. Even though Blount set the single-season record for rushing touchdowns, the Patriots never appeared too interested in bringing him back in the offseason.

To start the season, it was Mike Gillislee who was carrying much of the rushing load for the Patriots. After a good season with the Bills, Gillislee figured to be the most likely person to replace the production of Blount. However, besides scoring a few touchdowns in the first two games of the season, Gillislee didn’t run that well for the Patriots.

With a need for a spark, the Patriots began to feature Dion Lewis as their primary running back. Lewis made the most of his opportunities and made it impossible for Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels to take him out of the lineup.

In the regular season, Lewis ended up totaling 896 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, 214 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. At the end of the season, Lewis proved that he could be an every-down back for the Patriots, as injuries to Rex Burkhead and James White left him as the last man standing.

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As a free agent at the end of the season, Lewis will now have a chance to prove to every team in the NFL that he is capable of being the starting running back on a Super Bowl team. For a player that has overcome a lot of injuries to get to this moment, Lewis will certainly be ready for a big game on Sunday against the team that drafted him.