The Patriots ran the ball by design on 65% of their plays Sunday, which was their highest rate in any game since the 2008 regular-season finale, according to ESPN's Stats & Information.
Furthermore, Cam Newton's 13 designed runs were the second most of his career, per ESPN Stats & Info.
"Some of those runs were option-type runs, so we don't know who's going to get the ball; depends on how the defense plays it," coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "That's just an unpredictable part of that play [so] I think those numbers are, with all due respect, a little bit skewed. We'll see how teams play us going forward on those type of plays if we run those again.
Sony Michel ran 10 times for 37 yards and a TD while Rex Burkead had a 7-32-0 line and James White a 5-22-0 line. J.J. Taylor even got in the action with a 4-28-0 line. If the Patriots get their way, it looks like they've adapted to be run-heavy team, assuming they can play in tight games or have a lead.
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