Overview
- Thursday night’s game produced a pass-protection grade of 8.6 out of 100 for Henderson, the lowest offensive grade for the Patriots in that contest.
- Henderson played just 24% of offensive snaps against the Bears while Rhamondre Stevenson handled 69% of snaps and became the primary option on passing downs.
- The running back had three carries for nine yards and two catches for 14 yards in the game, marking one of his quietest stat lines this season.
- Pre-draft evaluations, including NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein, had identified Henderson’s blocking as a strength, which makes his current struggles notable and concerning.
- Reports that Henderson suffered a high-ankle sprain around Week 5 raise the possibility that injury is affecting his blocking, and the team now faces a short-term dilemma between preserving his explosiveness and protecting quarterback Drake Maye from protection breakdowns.