Patriots should focus on getting Sony Michel going this weekend

After an inauspicious start to his second NFL season, Sony Michel should be given an increased workload in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.

While it’s true that there wasn’t a whole lot to dislike in the New England Patriots‘ Week 1 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, second-year running back Sony Michel’s performance probably wasn’t what a lot of fans were expecting to see.

After all, Michel was coming off a rookie season in which he’d managed to put up nearly 1,000 yards on the ground despite missing multiple games to injury. He was even better in the postseason, matching his entire touchdown total from the regular season (six) in just three games of playoff action, as well as contributing another 345 yards from scrimmage.

For these reasons, it was a bit surprising and perhaps even a little disconcerting to see Michel routinely get stood up by opposing defenders in the Pittsburgh game. The Patriots kept trying to feed Michel the ball early, handing off to him on eight separate occasions in the first half. His yardage total on those eight attempts? Just 11 yards.

Up by a score of 20-0, New England again attempted to control the clock and establish Michel in the run game during the second half… and again, it didn’t really work. On seven rushing attempts, Michel had the following gains:

• -3 yards
• 3 yards
• 0 yards
• 4 yards
• 4 yards
• 0 yards
• -5 yards

All in all, he contributed a net gain of three yards on offense in the second half for the Pats.

For those keeping score at home, that brings Michel’s final stat-line on the night to 15 rushing attempts for 14 yards, which translate to 0.9 yards per rush. His longest run of the evening? A grand total of five yards.

This is not meant to disparage Michel, who was absolutely instrumental in helping the Patriots capture their sixth Super Bowl championship in franchise history last season. Without the former Georgia Bulldog’s powerful running towards the end of last year, it’s hard to imagine that New England dispatches the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams in the fashion that the Patriots did.

It’s also true that Michel faced more defenders stacked in the box every time he stepped into the Steelers game than fellow running backs James White or Rex Burkhead. Both White and Burkhead are respected threats in the passing game; Michel is not, even though he’s reportedly spent most of the offseason and training camp improving as a receiver.

Hopefully, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels can find some opportunities on Sunday to get Michel going again. It had to be frustrating for a player who expects to be the engine and workhorse of this offense to take a backseat and watch his teammates enjoy monster games against the Steelers’ D.

Last Sunday, the Dolphins were positively dismantled on the ground by a relentless Ravens rushing attack. Baltimore managed to pile up 265 yards on the legs of six different players… that should bode well for Michel’s chances of getting his own game kicked into a higher gear on the ground.

Arguably of much greater importance, though, is finding ways to showcase Michel’s reported improvement as a pass-catcher.

If the Patriots are fortunate enough to open up a big lead over the Dolphins – as many expect they will – they’d be wise to have Tom Brady pepper Michel with targets in the passing game. Doing so would create film for future teams of Michel’s expanded versatility as a player – which in turn could lead to fewer stacked boxes and less heavy defensive fronts facing Michel… and that means more room for him to run, which is what he does best.