New England Patriots: Sony Michel named to Pro Football Focus team of the week

New England Patriots running back Sony Michel was named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week for Week 12.

The New England Patriots got back into the win column against the New York Jets in Week 12. The victory pushed New England’s record to 8-3 on the season. With the win, the Patriots are now in the No. 2 spot in the AFC, courtesy of a Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets.

With the victory, the Patriots now control their own destiny throughout the remainder of the season. They own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Kansas City Chiefs, the current No. 1 seed, so there is a chance they can get home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

New England has a matchup looming with Pittsburgh in Week 15. That will be an important game for both teams, as it could determine who gets the bye in the first week of the playoffs. Also, it would effectively eliminate the loser from home-field consideration.

If the Patriots are going to defeat the Steelers, who will be looking to exact some revenge on the Patriots from last year, they will definitely need the Sony Michel that showed up against the Jets.

More from Musket Fire

• What trading Mac Jones during the draft can do for the Patriots
• Best and worst draft picks during the Bill Belichick era
• Early round Patriots draft picks you’ll hate now, love later
• Musket Fire Roundup: Our own final predictions for round 1
• Breaking down the Patriots’ options in the 2023 NFL Draft

Michel struggled as the team went into the bye week as he was returning from a knee injury. Michel rushed for only 31 yards on 11 carries in the blowout loss to the Titans. The bye in Week 11 looked to do Michel good, as he ran all over the Jets.

Michel carried the ball 21 times and rushed for 133 yards, which equals out to 6.3 yards per carry. He scored a touchdown on the ground as well, in addition to catching both of his passes for 12 yards.

Michel has turned into an important part of the Patriots’ offense this season. He is certainly living up to his first-round pedigree and was a key factor in the Patriots breaking away from the Jets in the second half of their game. His great performance was also recognized by Pro Football Focus.

Over at Pro Football Focus, a Team of the Week is chosen after all of the games are completed. Week 12’s team included Michel as the highest graded running back. Michel earned a grade of 90.3 against the Jets, as he got the job done once again for New England.

Here is what was said by PFF about Michel’s performance.

"Michel carried the ball 21 times in the win over the Jets, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and 3.19 yards after contact per carry in the process. He forced six missed tackles, with seven of his carries resulting in a first down or touchdown. His work in the passing game was limited to two catches for 12 yards, but he did pick up a first down there too."

Michel is a talented back that can help in both the run and pass games. With him back in the mix, the Patriots offense should continue producing at a high level.

The return of Rex Burkhead is something to keep an eye on, however. How much will his return cut into Michel’s playing time? We will have to wait and see. With how Michel has played, he probably shouldn’t see his workload cut back at all.