Pats Pulpit
If you had to describe New England Patriots team captain Hunter Henry in the most basic of terms, it probably would look like this: good tight end, good teammate.
In that sense, Sunday’s 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers might have been the quintessential Hunter Henry game.
First, the tight end part. Starting the game and playing 37 offensive snaps as New England’s TE1, Henry contributed in is typical versatile fashion: he served as both a blocker and a receiver, while lining up everywhere from the backfield, to the slot, to the perimeter. When all was said and done, he had two receptions for 39 yards to his name, including a 31-yard touchdown that effectively put the game out of reach in the third quarter.
Speaking about that play, Henry made sure to also highlight his teammates DeMario “Pop” Douglas and Stefon Diggs.
“I have to give credit to Pop and Diggs and the guys on the sideline making big blocks,” he said. “That’s huge for everybody. I really couldn’t have done it without those guys.”
Ever the captain, Henry’s support of his teammates on Sunday did not just show up at the postgame podium. It also was on full display in the second quarter, after running back TreVeyon Henderson had scored the first touchdown of his NFL career.
Henry knew about the significance of that moment right away, so he made sure to secure the ball for the rookie.
“There’s a lot going on in the game,” he explained afterwards. “Sometimes you don’t know exactly who the back was and I was looking at who it was and I was like, ‘I think that’s TreVeyon.’ And I was like, ‘I’m almost positive that’s his first touchdown.’ So, honestly, I was trying to grab the ball just to make sure, because I remember those moments. Your first touchdown is huge in this league. It is so hard to score, so a pretty special moment for him.”
Henry making sure Henderson would have his first touchdown ball after helping him get in the end zone in the first place as one of his lead blockers perfectly encapsulates why the 30-year-old was voted a captain by his peers before the start of the regular season. He is a team-first guy, both because of his ability to make plays and because of his ability to support his teammates.
The win over Carolina made this quite clear.
