On a day when New England needed everything from its rookie offensive players to survive in Tampa Bay, TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Williams delivered tenfold.
Henderson finished the day having posted 147 rushing yards, a 10.5-yard-per-attempt average, and two touchdowns. Williams sparked the offense’s 28-point day with the team’s chunkiest pass play all year long – a 72-yard touchdown during which he reached a speed of 21.78 mph, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“We really needed that one,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said of Williams’ score, after the 28-23 win. “That was the one we were talking about, just needing one play. He hit it, and it was great to see him have that success.”
The Patriots’ 28-23 road win over the Buccaneers wasn’t so much a coming out party for the two rookies as the fruit of labor – behind closed doors and without the glory of NFL Sunday spotlight performances - finally coming into harvest.
Despite their obvious talent and potential, the onramp from college to the NFL has been steep for both players. As the Patriots began stacking with an offense where everybody eats, Henderson and Williams found themselves in two different, but similarly impeded, spots. Henderson spent several weeks rotating among New England’s running backs on game days but was unable to catch fire as he did in the preseason. Through the first seven games, he averaged just under 22 rushing yards per game and had one touchdown. He ripped off a big, 27-yard run against Cleveland in Week 8, but was unable to match anywhere near that explosiveness against Atlanta the following week.
Williams had an up-and-down training camp and looked buried deep down the depth chart.
With deep threat Kayson Boutte and bellwether back Rhamondre Stevenson out, and on the road in Tampa Bay, there was no way New England would be able to outlast Baker Mayefield – the closest thing to Michael Meyers in the NFL – without some production from both young guys.
The explosiveness they provided was the stuff of draft night dreams. On 1st-and-10 in the third quarter, Henderson slipped between Hunter Henry and Morgan Moses off a hand-off and outran four Bucs defenders for a 55-yard touchdown.
Quarterback Drake Maye praised both rookies’ speed.
“If they get going, you’re not catching them,” he said postgame, with a chuckle.
Henderson’s touchdowns truly saved an otherwise lackluster second half for the Patriots’ offense, and the team increasingly goes as the offense goes. Running back Terrell Jennings went down. The Patriots went three-and-out.
They turned the ball over on downs, and turned the ball over on an interception. As momentum shifted Tampa’s way, the team stayed the course and bided their time.
Much like the two rookies who finally got their moments in the sun.
“We always say, ‘Prepare as a starter,’ and I really took that to heart this week. Because I knew what was at stake,” Williams said after the game. “When you get an opportunity, you’re not promised another one. For me, it was just making the most of it, whenever my opps came. Just making the most of it, and then just stacking. So, I’m proud of myself.”
DeMario “Pop” Douglas and Terrell Jennings described “trusting the process” despite their own challenges leading up to last week’s win over Atlanta, and both players went home with game balls that day.
If Mike Vrabel has imparted any one clear message to his young players, it’s this: every dog has its day, but they better be ready.
"I thank God because this week, I feel like I've been pushing myself to just prepare for when those moments come," Henderson said.
For him and Williams, that day carried the Patriots past one of the best teams in the league.