Dion Lewis Shows His Value to Offense in Patriots' 36-7 Win over Dolphins

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots were without Dion Lewis in Week 7's win over the New York Jets, and it didn't take the unheralded running back very long to show the Patriots exactly what they were missing.

Lewis finished with five carries for 19 yards, but he made a big impact as a receiver with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

Player	Yards from scrimmage	Rushing	Receiving
Rob Gronkowski	646	0	646
Julian Edelman	607	23	584
Dion Lewis	569	220	349

Lewis has been lightning in a bottle for the Patriots this season; he has 45 carries for 220 yards and two rushing touchdowns along with 32 catches for 349 yards and two receiving touchdowns. With a combined 569 yards from scrimmage, Lewis has already nearly tripled his career total prior to his arrival in New England.

So, while Lewis' emergence as a reliable scat back has helped lift the Patriots offense, it's a relationship that has clearly been mutually beneficial.

"I'm very thankful to be in this position," he said, "but I'm trying to move forward now. The past is in the past, and I'm just trying to control what I can control, and that's working hard every day."

Lewis was certainly working hard on Thursday night, making defenders miss left and right on his way to one big play after another. His first three catches went for 17, 19 and 18 yards, using one video game-like move after another to shake himself free from defenders.

"He's a dynamic player," said tight end Rob Gronkowski. "Dude's unreal the way he can move. I don't know if anyone else can move like that, the way he can cut in and out like that. He's great to have on our team." 

The Patriots didn't have Lewis on the field last week, and their offense missed his presence. In fact, Brady told WEEI's The Dennis & Callahan Show, via Jerry Spar of WEEI.com, that the Patriots were making 11th-hour changes to their game plan following the news that Lewis would be inactive for that game.

In the span of three months since the start of training camp, Lewis has gone from a long shot to make the team to a player who is invaluable to the Patriots offense. 

And to think, all of his production on Thursday night was at less than his absolute best. Lewis might not be back to 100 percent yet—which is a scary thought for opposing defenses—but he wasn't about to let that stop him from making his presence felt.

"I was out there," he said, "so no matter what your percentage is, if you're out there playing, you're expected to make plays."

And make plays he did. Lewis had just five carries, even though the game plan called for more running this week (26 attempts as a team), but with such a sizable role as a receiver, Lewis is bound to find opportunities to make plays week in and week out.

Especially if he keeps making highlight-reel plays like he's been making the first seven games of the season.

His spin move to get free of a Dolphins defender on a short pass helped him make a much bigger play than he might have otherwise made, and it was done mainly on instinct. 

"Just having a feel for where the guys are at," Lewis said, "just trying to have awareness and know how close he is. Sometimes it's hard to judge, but you just have to trust your instincts."

The Patriots trusted their instincts—and their eyes—when Lewis was lighting up the field during training camp, and it's paid off in the form of yet another trustworthy scat back for their high-powered offense.

All quotes obtained firsthand.