New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are on fire, as they will be looking to earn their sixth-straight win in Week 9 when they take on the Atlanta Falcons. However, they will be without their top running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, which has forced Mike Vrabel and the rest of the coaching staff to adapt.
Despite dealing with a slew of fumbling issues, Stevenson has remained the Pats’ top running back this season. After missing practice all week with a toe injury, though, Stevenson was ruled out for this game on Friday.
That leaves TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings as the top options at running back, with D’Ernest Johnson also getting elevated off the practice squad on Saturday. It’s not exactly an inspiring group, as Henderson has experienced some rookie struggles, while Jennings only recently got signed to the active roster off the practice squad.
Ever since Antonio Gibson suffered a torn ACL back in Week 5, Jennings has been getting elevated to the active roster from the practice squad to fill in as the team’s No. 3 running back. Now that’s officially on the roster, and Stevenson is injured, Jennings’ role is set to expand, and ahead of this game, Vrabel issued some strong praise for Jennings.
“He’s a great teammate,” Vrabel said of Jennings. “He cares about his teammates. He plays hard, unselfish, he runs hard, and I think he’s improved. He’s improved his skill set … He’s taken advantage of his opportunities … Excited to see him continue to play.”
Jennings has played sparingly during his three games this season, as he has just seven carries for 33 yards. With more snaps set to come his way, though, Jennings has a great shot to prove he can handle a bigger workload moving forward.
Henderson figures to handle the bulk of the workload out of the backfield, but Jennings should be featured as well. Kickoff for New England’s upcoming game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon, with the team looking to push its record to 7-2.
