After signing with the New England Patriots last season, running back Dion Lewis was expected to compete for the starting job. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by an ACL injury.
With the Patriots being among the favorites in early Super Bowl 51 betting, hopes were really high this season. New England were hoping to have Lewis back in time for the start of 2016, but he was still rehabbing the injury.
Fast forward to last week, with Dion Lewis making his first appearance of the year against the San Francisco 49ers.
After the game, Lewis told reporters he was just focused on going out on the field, properly executing plays and making sure he doesn’t make any mistakes, which will land you in Bill Belichick’s dog house for a very long time.
With all that on his mind, Lewis said he didn’t think of the season-ending injury or worry about injuring the same knee during the game.
Quarterback Tom Brady tried to get Lewis going on the first play of the game, with a short pass that fell incomplete. Two plays later, Brady connected with Lewis on a screen pass that helped the team convert a third down and put them in scoring position.
Before the game, Belichick told reporters about the difficulties some players have coming back from serious injuries, which is why he wanted to ease Lewis back into the lineup.
Dion Lewis played in only 21 of the 76 offensive snaps the Patriots had, and finished with 5 carries for 23 yards, and three receptions for 26 yards. After the game, he told reporters that he was just getting g used to the game again because of the long layoff. He added that his body felt great after the game, and he just needs to get his rhythm back.
Lewis, who was the team’s best receiving back before the injury last year, expects to get more touches as he gets more comfortable. In his absence, the team turned to James White, who is having a career year and has already matched his total output from last year with four touchdowns.
LeGarrette Blount, who is the best runner on the team, and leads the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns, will continue to be the feature back, while Lewis and White are expected to split time on passing plays.
With a healthy Lewis back in the lineup, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has another weapon to work with, which will make the Patriots offense, which was already one of the best in the league, even more potent.
Even though his return means less playing time for the other running backs on the team, Blount told reporters that the running backs on the team are a very close-knit group so the loss of carries isn’t a big deal to them because they are more concerned about winning games and supporting each other.
It will take Lewis some time to get back to where he was before the injury, but the team expects him back to his old self as the season progresses.