Patriots: Which players had the biggest impact on 2018 season?

Sony Michel

When the Patriots selected Michel at the end of the first round in the 2018 Draft, many fans and analysts openly wondered why. It’s not that the Patriots didn’t have a need at running back – not since Corey Dillon came over from the Bengals had the team possessed a truly game-breaking three-down threat in the backfield.

Still, there were other areas of need around the team on both sides of the ball that seemed to be a higher priority than halfback. Belichick, Brady, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had gotten along just fine with a platoon of better-than-average runners for years, provided they all had soft hands for catching passes and were at least halfway-decent in pass protection.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, can you even imagine where the Patriots would be without Michel?

It’s not hyperbole to suggest that this team would have fallen well short of their ultimate goals and expectations without the powerful runner out of Georgia on the roster. Michel not only attributed for nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards of offense during the regular season; he was even better in the playoffs, finishing with the same number of touchdowns (six) in three postseason games that he had in his eight healthy regular season contests.

Simply put, Sony Michel was the engine of the New England offense in 2018. When he was active and churning out tough yards against opposing defensive fronts, the Patriots were borderline-unstoppable. When he missed time due to injuries, or the Pats were forced to try and air it out to come back from a deficit, the team usually struggled and very often lost.

Out of every player on the New England offense, Michel’s development and potential might be the most important to the future of this franchise.