The New England Patriots' offseason featured the ushering in of a new coaching staff, headlined by Mike Vrabel. Vrabel brought in his right-hand man in Tennessee, Terrell Williams, to be the defensive coordinator, but went back to an old Patriots coach for the OC position: Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels and Vrabel have one thing in common with their past: they love to run the football. The Patriots haven't run the ball as well as fans might have hoped, with Rhamondre Stevenson averaging just 3.4 yards per carry and the rushing offense 17th in the league. For a team that ranked 14th in rushing last season, this reality is somewhat disappointing.
Nonetheless, things have started to turn around over the last few weeks, as the top three rushing performances have come over the past three games. The major change? Fullback Jack Westover's uptick in snaps.
Over the first six weeks, the Patriots didn't deploy him for more than 23% of snaps in any single game. He's exceeded that percentage each of the past three weeks, playing 46% of snaps against Atlanta this past week.
Jack Westover is a phenomenal addition to the run game
The Patriots' run game has been night-and-day better over the past three weeks. Over the first six games, Stevenson's Week 2 54-yard performance was the best rushing total the Patriots recorded. In three weeks, the Patriots' top rusher totaled less than 30 yards, a dismal stat. Stevenson's 88-yard game against the Titans, followed by Henderson's 75 and 55-yard games against the Browns and Falcons, are the best totals yet.
The major change, as mentioned, has been the use of former tight end Westover. The University of Washington product spent six years with the Huskies, primarily as a tight end. He spent his first preseason with the Seahawks but signed to the Patriots' practice squad in October 2024, being elevated to the active roster for the final game of the season.
Westover was overlooked in the preseason, as he fought for the TE3 role against Jahiem Bell and undrafted rookies C.J. Dippre and Gee Scott. He got a major break when Brock Lampe, a UDFA fullback from Northern Illinois who looked sure to make the roster, was placed on season-ending IR. Westover has been playing fullback since.
He had just one catch in the final preseason game this year, a five-yard grab against the Giants. That's the only reception of his career. Despite his lack of production as a receiver, Vrabel has noticed the UW product's hard work: “Jack’s gotten more comfortable every week since training camp,” said Vrabel. “He’s kind of carved out a little role for himself, and that’s been good to see.”
The Patriots ran for 133 yards on Sunday against Atlanta, which, at an average, would slot them 8th in the league, above the Jonathan Taylor-led Colts. Westover's career-high 31 snaps no doubt contributed, and it's been great to see the team continuously improve on the ground. Westover will need to have another solid performance on Sunday against Tampa Bay, the 7th-ranked run defense.