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New England Patriots: Week 17 key for Steven Jackson

By Kevin Parvizi

Dec 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hands the ball off to running back Steven Jackson (39) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. New York Jets defeat the New England Patriots 26-20 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Dec 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hands the ball off to running back Steven Jackson (39) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. New York Jets defeat the New England Patriots 26-20 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Jim O /
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With LeGarrette Blount out for the season, the New England Patriots have turned to veteran Steven Jackson as their big back in a committee led by jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none RB Brandon Bolden and standout second-year pass-catching back James White.

In his first game as a member of the New England Patriots, Steven Jackson carried the ball seven times for just 15 yards, as he found it impossible to find room against arguably the league’s best run defense. Playing behind a floundering offensive line that lost Sebastian Vollmer to injury during the game didn’t help, but Jackson was even less efficient than Bolden, who needed nine carries to earn 30 yards.

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The fact that Jackson earned seven carries in his debut game for the Patriots in combination with Joey Iosefa‘s demotion to the practice squad after the game means that the Pats are at least somewhat encouraged by what they saw from him.

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Of course, S-Jax is a 32-year-old running back who failed to average 4.0 yards per carry in either the 2013 or 2014 seasons as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, so all the Patriots can hope is for him to grind out tough yards up the middle in certain spots. They can’t expect him to average a hefty 4.5 yards per carry or be a true lead back, because even if he looked more lively than his awful Week 16 numbers indicate, the Pats aren’t hoping for more than competency out of their new power runner.

Tomorrow’s game against the rival Miami Dolphins will be a good test for Jackson as he looks to shake off the rust of a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and it will be his last chance to impress before the postseason gets under way. The Dolphins run defense isn’t terrible, but with the third-most rushing yards allowed, the sixth-most total yards allowed, and the sixth-most points allowed, this is a good opportunity for Jackson to put up quality numbers with key players still missing on offense.

The Dolphins surrendered 140 rushing yards to the San Diego Chargers in Week 15 before having issues with stopping Frank Gore on the ground last week in their loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Since Tom Brady is infinitely better than the quarterbacks the Colts trotted out there against Miami, the Patriots should theoretically be able to run for more than 100 yards (the Colts had exactly triple digits in this category) tomorrow.

While the Patriots offensive line will have to step up in order for Bolden, Jackson, and the team’s running game to pick up, S-Jax was signed specifically to help overcome the Pats line issues. See, big backs like Jackson are supposed to be able to get more than what’s in front of them on a consistent basis, and that’s exactly what S-Jax did in the prime of his career for the St. Louis Rams.

Aug 22, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; A detailed view of a New England Patriots helmet during the second half of a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Saints 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; A detailed view of a New England Patriots helmet during the second half of a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Saints 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

But even when he was piling up subpar stats as the Falcons lead back, Jackson was still one of the league’s best backs in terms of yards after contact per carry, and the Patriots would like to see that take place again in the team’s final regular season contest before the postseason begins.

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The Patriots have put some faith in Jackson by signing him, giving him carries, and sticking by him as their “big back” over Iosefa, so we’ll see if he can reward them with an encouraging display against the Dolphins defense.

It’s a much more fair test for him than facing the Jets hard-nosed, Todd Bowles-coached front, and while Bolden will continue to operate as the Patriots lead back, Jackson’s play going forward in a Blount-type role will also be key. If he can effectively pound the ball up the gut, then that could go a long way to opening things up for the passing game, especially Brandon LaFell and Rob Gronkowski.

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