The New England Patriots finished the season as the sixth-ranked rushing offense in football despite a dismal start. TreVeyon Henderson's emergence, paired with Rhamondre Stevenson's shift to a change-of-pace back, has led the rushing offense to take over over the past few games.
Over the last three games, New England has averaged 159 yards on the ground (4th most in that time frame) while en route to three wins. They averaged 36 PPG. Rushing offense is incredibly important come playoff time, and New England is getting hot exactly when it matters.
While the performances of Henderson and Stevenson have been the driving force in the Patriots' success over the past few games, the schematics cannot be ignored. The offensive line, of course, has been a major factor, but a sixth player has become increasingly important over the last few weeks.
Fullback Jack Westover has been a non-factor this season. He's the first Patriots' fullback since the merger to go an entire season without producing a single yard of offense (1 catch), and he is PFF's worst graded at the position.
Instead of utilizing a traditional fullback, Westover was replaced by nose tackle Khyiris Tonga. Tonga has been out of action for the last two weeks, however, meaning the Patriots needed to move on to another player as their extra blocker.
#Patriots fullback Jack Westover is the first at the position in team history to ever go a full season without gaining a yard of offense.
— Graham Wilker (@GrahamWilker1) January 5, 2026
He had his first career catch on Sunday against the Dolphins, but it was for no gain. #nfl
Thayer Munford has been a major piece to New England's offense
Munford has been a key piece to what New England has done in the run game over the past few weeks. Of his 100 snaps on offense this season, 57 have been either as a tight end or fullback. He's played 42 snaps as an extra blocker over the last three weeks.
As the Patriots come on to the field for the fourth drive, OL/TE Thayer Munford Jr. joins the huddle as they look for a bigger presence in the lineup with a sixth OL.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 4, 2026
Munford's 6th snap of the game in that role. He wasn't on the field for the 3-and-out third drive.
In games where either Tonga or Munford is utilized as an extra blocker for at least 8 snaps, the Patriots average 162.2 rushing yards per game. They average 115 otherwise. They've also scored 12 rushing touchdowns in the five games in which one of the two is utilized.
The use of an extra blocker in the form of either Tonga or Munford has massively benefited New England, and given Munford's increase in snap count over the past few weeks, I wouldn't expect them to stop any time soon.
While he's flown under the radar, the use of Munford as an extra blocker has been one of the most key alterations New England has made to their offense after the bye.