New England Patriots: 3 Standouts vs. Dolphins in Week 2

2. Sony Michel

Another standout performer in New England’s eye-opening 43-0 blowout victory over Miami on Sunday afternoon in Miami was Patriots running back Sony Michel. Michel led the running back group with a total of 85 yards and one touchdown with 21 carries in the win, rushing for a game-long run of 12 yards. Michel was the only running back for New England in the game to rush the ball more than five times.

In the Week 1 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off the regular season last Sunday, Michel didn’t play as large of a role in that win as he did during the Week 2 win in Miami. In the victory over the Steelers, Michel totaled just 14 yards rushing on 15 carries for New England, being held out of the endzone in that game.

On Sunday against the Dolphins, however, Michel had a nice bounce-back performance to lead the running game and help the Patriots move to a perfect 2-0 on the year. Through two weeks, Michel has combined for 99 yards on 36 total rushes, adding one touchdown along the way.

As a unit, the Patriots were able to total 126 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the contest to continue to display their ability to have balance within the offense to offset what quarterback Tom Brady and the potent passing game is able to do through the air.

Michel, paired alongside James White and Rex Burkhead and company, has consistently shown their ability to take things over on the ground through the first two weeks of the regular season.

On Sunday in the dominating performance against Miami, New England’s running game was just one aspect that fed into its success, led by Michel this time around. Look for that to continue to be the case for the remainder of the season in 2019.