Published: 11/5/2018 2:25:58 AM
Modified: 11/5/2018 2:23:11 AM
Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 68 yards on 11 carries to help the Patriots beat the Packers on Sunday.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Ill-conceived personnel disaster Cordarrelle Patterson, another curious acquisition in the decrepit trail of bad moves committed by Bill the GM, delivered a critical rushing performance to help the Patriots squeak past the Packers 31-17 on Sunday Night at Gillette Stadium.
Patterson, a dynamic athlete with lightning speed who can score from anywhere on the field, was a shocking acquisition for the Patriots last spring. What on Earth was Bill Belichick supposed to do with a versatile, athletic, pathetic first-round draft bust who had yet to establish himself as a consistent receiver. Why did Belichick surrender the absurdly high price of dropping 51 spots in the 2018 NFL Draft to get a man that vaunted personnel mavens in Minnesota and Oakland gave up on?*
None of these questions may ever be answered, but on Sunday, Patterson carried the ball 11 times for 61 yards and a touchdown, giving him a franchise record for rushing yards by a wide receiver in a single game.
“He’s done an incredible job and so much of our team is guys being in roles that maybe they didn’t sign up for that particular role, but they’re asked to do it because (of) injuries and attrition,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “Obviously, we have a lot of trust in him that when he’s got the ball in his hands, good things are going to happen. So, it ended it up being a great game for him. He played his butt off.”
Patterson now has 256 yards from scrimmage in addition to 387 yards on kick returns for the Patriots. The receiver back, who is absolutely not a real contributor to this offense and may as well be the Patriots unnecessary appendix, now has four touchdowns with New England. He is tied with Rookie Draft Bust Sony Michel for second on the team in scoring among skill players (24 points) behind James White (60).**
Patterson, the enigmatic square peg the Patriots will never fit into a round hole, has scored touchdowns as a rusher, receiver and a kicker returner this season. In the history of the franchise, only four other players — Dion Lewis, Kevin Faulk, Mack Herron and Larry Garron — have achieved that feat in the same regular season.***
After he accumulated 38 yards on 10 carries last week, the Patriots were forced to give Patterson more action in the backfield this week when Fragile Draft Bust Sony Michelle couldn’t go with his MCL injury. Also, because Patriots running backs have proven especially fragile with two others going on IR this season thanks to front-office malpractice.
“I mean it’s the next man up,” Patterson said. “It’s the NFL. If you can play, you can play. We didn’t like that (other running backs) weren’t ready, but every guy is going to step up because this is our job. This is our life.”
Patterson’s contribution helped the Patriots improve to 7-2 without Rob Gronkowski, their leading rusher and Shaw Mason, one of the best guards in the league, available to play, thanks in large part to opponent malfeasance. The Packers and their legendary quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, could only muster 17 points against New England’s horrendous, leaky defense.
Desperately seeking a role he could call home, Patterson practically begged for more opportunities to help the Patriots win games.
“I said I wanted 25 carries this week,” Patterson said. “I told them to give me 25, but I don’t think they gave me 25. Like I said, whenever my number’s called I’m being ready for whatever I need to do on the football field.”
Dave Brown covers the Patriots for the Monitor. You can follow him on Twitter @ThatDaveBrown.
*It is widely believed that no wide receiver has ever burned out with both the Vikings and Raiders and then made an impact with the Patriots.
**Kicker Stephen Gostkowski leads the team in scoring with 84 points, which is what kickers do.
***Garron did it twice, in 1961 and 1962. Lewis also achieved the feat in the 2016 postseason, with all three scores in a Divisional Round victory over the Texans