The New England Patriots’ running back situation looked extremely muddled after Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills. Stevan Ridley was benched early on after fumbling twice (losing one of them) and replaced by Shane Vereen. Ridley was expected to remain the starter, but Vereen was likely going to see an increased workload after racking up over 150 yards of total offense. Instead, he has a broken wrist.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported on Monday that Vereen broke a small bone in his wrist on the first play of the game against the Bills. He was able to play through it but experienced some numbness. He is scheduled for surgery on Monday and expected to miss a few weeks.
With that, Ridley will immediately be given a chance to redeem himself. LeGarrette Blount is more of a short yardage back who is not really capable of handling a full workload or even 50% of New England’s total carries. Ridley is clearly the most talented back the Patriots have on their roster with Vereen out. He needs to stop putting the ball on the ground if a now-thin Patriots’ backfield is to be successful.
