Despite sour ending, Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson shows what all the hype was about vs. Browns

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The cherry that was supposed to sit on top of TreVeyon Henderson's breakout day was merely six yards away. During New England's final possession (excluding kneels) in the club's 32-13 win over the Browns, the rookie back took a second-down handoff from the Cleveland 9-yard line. As he rumbled and stumbled closer to the goal line, he fumbled. The Browns recovered, erasing the scoring opportunity.

"You know, it's a learning lesson," Henderson said of the turnover after the game. "It's tough to go out like that, but that's something we've been harping on all season, just taking care of the ball. That's something that we've got to continue to work on."

The fumble itself was inconsequential. New England already had the victory in the bag with a 30-13 lead and just under five minutes to play. Furthermore, Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel was called for intentional grounding in the end zone just two plays later, which resulted in a safety. No harm, no foul, but a lesson in ball security nonetheless. 

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Even as this was admittedly a sour note to end on, Henderson's mini-breakout shouldn't go unnoticed. After serving as a depth piece on the roster through the first seven weeks of the regular season, Henderson found himself in a much more competitive split with starter Rhamondre Stevenson in terms of carries (14 vs. 10). 

A week after logging just two carries for five yards against the Tennessee Titans, Henderson carried the ball 10 times on Sunday for 75 yards. Those rushing totals, which were by far a season-high, came against a Browns defense that had held opponents to just 3.3 yards per carry (tied for No. 1 in the NFL) coming into Week 8. 

Henderson flashed his explosiveness early, taking the second offensive snap of the day 12 yards on a second-and-8 handoff from Drake Maye. 

A few plays later on the opening field goal drive, he broke off an 18-yard scamper on a toss to get New England on the doorstep of the red zone. 

Henderson could prove to be an X-factor for one of the hottest teams in the NFL as they look toward the second half of the regular season. When drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, he was billed as a home-run hitter as both a pure runner and receiver out of the backfield. While that ability flashed in the preseason, it had yet to truly emerge in the regular season -- until Sunday's win suggested a bigger breakout could be on the horizon

"I've definitely been getting more comfortable as the season's evolved," Henderson said. "Getting more reps, getting more opportunities, different looks, and going up against different players." 

Henderson also has a favorable road ahead with New England squaring off against some beatable run defenses. For instance, their next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, were in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards allowed coming into Week 8 and just let Dolphins backs combine for 141 yards on the ground, albeit on 37 carries. The New York Jets (Week 10), Cincinnati Bengals (Week 12), and New York Giants (Week 13) are all bottom 10 rushing defenses as well. 

Of course, Stevenson will still be a major factor in the running game and command the lion's share of touches for the time being, but the opportunity is there for Henderson to use this showing as a springboard into becoming a late-blooming force for the Patriots down the stretch.