Stud: Sony Michel
Sony Michel had his second straight standout performance for New England in its sixth straight victory to start the year, doing a little bit of everything both in the running game and in the passing game for the Patriots.
Michel once again led New England in total yards rushing on the ground for the second straight week, tallying a team-best 86 yards on 22 carries, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and recording a game-long rush of 26 yards. Through the air, Michel finished with two catches for 27 yards on three total targets out of the backfield.
With fellow running back James White primarily serving more as a receiving back out of the backfield for New England as of late, that has resulted in Michel being tagged with a bulk of the rushing responsibilities within the Patriots offense. So far through six weeks of action and once again was the case on Thursday night against the Giants, Michel has been thriving in that role.
Dud: Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon, who had been dealing with an injury bug throughout the week with a knee injury that kept him limited at practice and questionable ahead of Thursday night’s contest, left the game early for the Patriots while dealing with another knee injury. In the second quarter on Thursday night, Gordon suffered a knee injury right before halftime that forced him to leave the game against New York and not return for the remainder of the game.
Moving forward into the week ahead, it will be interesting to see the status of Gordon going into the seventh week of the regular season. Although, the few extra days of rest might benefit the wide receiver in hopefully getting back to the field in Week 7.