Dion Lewis Impresses In Limited Role In Return To Field
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's amazing what good health can do for a football team. For the Patriots offense, particularly on the ground, it's been striking.
With health and consistency on the offensive line, and LeGarrette Blount continuing to play well carrying the rock, the Patriots' running game has dramatically improved in 2016 after the utter lack of a rushing attack made the offense too one-dimensional at the end of the 2015 season. The team's stable of running backs looks poised to improve even further with the return of Dion Lewis, who impressed in a limited role against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
It appears that the Patriots are easing Lewis back in, as he played 21 snaps and essentially split time with James White (24 snaps). But when Lewis had the ball in his hands, he looked about as shifty and explosive as he did in his seven games in 2015. He finished with three catches on five targets for 26 yards receiving, adding five rushes for 23 yards on the ground.
You know who also felt Dion Lewis looked like pretty much the same exact player in his return to the field? Dion Lewis.
"It's like riding a bike," Lewis said after the game when asked if he feels as good as he did last season before getting injured. "I've been playing this game for a long time. I'm just happy to be back out there with my teammates."
In just eight touches, Lewis flashed his uncanny ability to make people miss and break open-field tackles that made him such a surprisingly dangerous weapon for Tom Brady in 2015. He made his first catch of the season on just the third play of the game from scrimmage for the Patriots, promptly shaking a defender to pick up a first down. He also completely fooled 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt to break off a 12-yard run at the end of the second quarter.
People noticed.
Though Lewis has shown that he can make plays by himself with the ball in his hands, the blocking up front on the Patriots' offensive line has also been better after the return of offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. It certainly helps that the team has found a consistent five-man group to deploy on every snap after serious injuries crippled them in the trenches last season.
The key now will be to keep everyone on the offense healthy, which will always be a question mark with Lewis, among others. But if Brady continues his otherworldly play, the offensive line continues to play better with the current group, and the running backs continue to provide a strong complement to the passing game, the Patriots offense will be tough for anyone to slow down.
It will be exciting to see what the explosive Lewis can bring to the team if and when he makes it to January.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
