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New England Patriots: Cordarrelle Patterson at running back did not work

By Nick Ziegler

FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 30: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the New England Patriots throws a football into the stands to fans before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 30: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the New England Patriots throws a football into the stands to fans before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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In the win over the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots shockingly used Cordarrelle Patterson at running back.

The New England Patriots were able to escape Buffalo with a primetime road win, but it did not come easy. In the win, the offense for the Patriots had a tough night, but the defense stepped up against a poor Buffalo offense.

Coming into the game, there were a lot of question marks about the running back situation for the Patriots. With Sony Michel out, many were expecting an increased workload for Kenjon Barner.

After Michel was hurt against the Bears, Barner totaled 10 carries in relief. However, Barner was a non-factor for the Patriots against the Bills despite Michel being out. In the win, Barner totaled just two carries for four yards.

Instead of Barner getting Michel’s carries, the Patriots used Cordarrelle Patterson at running back. Seeing Patterson as the leading rusher for the Patriots was very surprising, as this was clearly the plan heading into the game.

While James White did get eight carries and a rushing touchdown, it was Patterson who led the team in carries and rushing yards. In the win, Patterson totaled 10 carries and 38 rushing yards. A majority of those yards came on one run, as he ripped off a 22-yard rush late in the game.

Even though he is a talented player, the Patterson experiment at running back didn’t work all that well for New England. They really struggled to run the football and the Bills, and that could have been a main cause for the offense struggling. Even though the Bills didn’t blitz Brady a ton, they were able to get a good amount of pressure on him with no fear of the Patriots rushing attack.

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With Sony Michel being listed as week-to-week, the Patriots will have to find a way to get something going on the ground next week against the Green Bay Packers. While they might have gotten away with a poor running game against the Bills, the Packers are a much better team and the Patriots will have to perform better offensively.

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