Patriots: Sony Michel’s explosiveness since return proves injuries held him back

Sunday proved that Patriots RB Sony Michel can be effective when he isn’t combatting injuries.

It goes without saying that Patriots running back Sony Michel has struggled to replicate the success he enjoyed as a rookie, when he totaled 931 rushing yards and six touchdowns on a respectable 4.5 yards per carry over 13 games (eight starts).

Michel’s struggles since then have prompted fans to question whether the Patriots should exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie contract in the offseason. However, the 2018 first-round pick proved on Sunday against Miami that he has plenty left in the tank and that nagging injuries might have been preventing him from showcasing his widely-panned explosiveness

Lost in the Patriots’ season-crushing loss was a solid performance from Michel, who took 10 carries for 74 yards before he was phased out of the offensive game plan after the Dolphins established a commanding second-half lead.

Perhaps the most critical element of Michel’s game, other than his lack of explosiveness, has been his inability to make the first man miss. Well, this past weekend he just so happened to rank fourth among qualified running backs with 4.4 yards after contact per carry. He also logged four runs of more than 10 yards.

We’ve been begging Michel to run with this sort of determination, similar to the punishing style that Harris has showcased since he took over the starting job, and this latest performance indicates he has finally received the message.

While injuries to his foot, knee and quad — two of which required surgery — have no doubt played a huge role in Michel’s regression since 2018, it’s also feasible that him playing behind Harris for several weeks served as the reality check he needed to kick it into high gear.

It sounds crazy, but we actually noticed a ton of similarities between Harris, who was out due to an ankle injury, and Michel in terms of their running styles and how effortlessly the latter was bouncing off tackles.

We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but if Michel is going to run like his workload depends on it, and does so in an effective manner, we would definitely be open to the prospect of him rotating in a committee alongside Harris for the final two games of 2020 and potentially next year as well.

After all, doesn’t everybody deserve a second chance?

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