Patriots’ Harris gets his chance, and runs with it

After he was not given much of an opportunity to play as a rookie, Patriots running back Damien Harris made the most of the chance he did get Monday night.

In his first start in the NFL, the second-year player showed off the skills so many were clamoring to see last season. Harris carried the ball 17 times for 100 yards and, while he didn’t get the end result he wanted in the 26-10 loss to Kansas City, it looks like it won’t be long before he helps New England get a win [...]

After he was not given much of an opportunity to play as a rookie, Patriots running back Damien Harris made the most of the chance he did get Monday night.

In his first start in the NFL, the second-year player showed off the skills so many were clamoring to see last season. Harris carried the ball 17 times for 100 yards and, while he didn’t get the end result he wanted in the 26-10 loss to Kansas City, it looks like it won’t be long before he helps New England get a win this season.

"It’s been a long time coming and I’ve looked forward to playing with this group of guys on this team for a long time now," said Harris, who was activated off injured reserve prior to the game. "Just being able to be out there with these guys, they’re guys who work so hard day in and day out, especially the offensive line.

"It was truly an honor to be out there with those guys."

TO OUR READERS: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Sign up for our daily or breaking newsletters to stay informed. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Providence Journal.

When he was asked about the Harris’ performance, head coach Bill Belichick did what he usually does with those types of questions.

"I can’t evaluate everybody out there tonight. I was trying to do what I could to let the team win," Belichick said. "We’ll look at film, but I’m sure everybody had some good plays; I’m sure everybody had some plays they wish they could have over again."

Harris didn’t appear to have many of those.

While there might be a cut or two he thinks he could have made, or a tackle he thinks he might have been able to spin out of, you could criss-cross all the states in New England without finding someone who thought Harris wasn’t spectacular Monday night.

Sony Michel was sent to injured reserve before the game, opening a door Harris has been waiting for more than a year to have opened for him.

He was given the start but not as a bell-cow back. The Patriots Monday night did what they normally do with running backs, rotating Harris in with dual-threat Rex Burkhead and pass-catching extraordinaire James White.

Still, the numbers tell you who the starter was. Harris had 17 carries while Burkhead had 11 and White had three to go with seven catches.

Harris was worked in slowly with three carries in the first half, which had more to do with the Patriots’ inability to pick up first downs than anything else. He carried the ball eight times in the second half, the majority occurring on the final drive before halftime, which would have led to points if quarterback Brian Hoyer had not forgotten how many timeouts the team had left.

Harris did not touch the ball again until the last two plays of the third quarter. The penultimate play was a 6-yard run. New England rushed to the line, trying to get another play off before the break and Harris popped off a big run off-tackle right. He hit the hole and was gone through the second level before being angled out of bounds for a 42-yard gain that set up the team’s lone touchdown.

With the Patriots chasing points in the fourth quarter and throwing more than running the ball, Harris saw only three carries, but his final 3-yard run put him at the century mark.

"Being his first time out there and getting all those carries, he played tough," White said. "He was really excited to be out there and he gave us a spark."

When he was asked if he thought he made the most of the opportunity given to him, Harris replied, "That’s a question for Coach Bill, Coach Ivan [Fears] or Coach Josh [McDaniels]."

But when he was asked what he had done this year compared to last year to earn the opportunity, Harris opened up a bit.

"Coming into this year, I had the mentality of doing whatever I could to help this team be successful," Harris said. "Last year, I didn’t really have that big of a role as far … as games went. Every day at practice, I tried to get better. I tried to make the guys around me better with my effort with how I practiced.

"Coming into this year, I just wanted to take another step."

It looks like he’s done that.

Harris is content to leave his future on the field up to the coaches. He wasn’t even sure — or at least wasn’t telling — what his usage was to be Monday night until it happened.

The 17 carries were more than the four he had in two games all of last season and the most he’s seen in a game since he ran for 107 on 19 carries playing for Alabama in a 29-0 win over LSU on Nov. 3, 2018.

So, after the game, Harris was in pain.

But it was good pain.

"I’m definitely sore already. That was expected," Harris said. "This is my first real action in a long, long time. Like I said earlier, it was definitely great to get back out there, but now it’s just about recovering, getting myself ready for our next challenge."

erueb@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7340

On Twitter: @EricRueb