Green-Ellis' Career Day Paces Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) – The New England Patriots needed to run the ball against the New York Jets, and run the ball they did.
With the Jets making it a 27-21 game in the fourth quarter, the Patriots gave the ball to BenJarvis Green-Ellis. Tom Brady handed it off the "The Law Firm" nine times, with Green-Ellis picking up 54 yards as the Patriots ate 6:12 on the clock.
By the time they kicked a field goal to give them a 31-20 lead, the Jets had just 1:02 left to make up the deficit. They could not, and the Patriots improved to 4-1 with the 31-20 victory.
"When you get those situations, you have to play situational football," said Green-Ellis, who had two touchdowns on the afternoon. "You don't want to give them the football back and give them a chance to score. We were able to do that tonight."
Read: Jets-Patriots Highs and Lows
Green-Ellis finished the game with a career high 136-yards on 27 carries, his fourth career 100-yard game. With Sunday's two scores, Green-Ellis now has 18 rushing touchdowns since 2010, the most in the NFL.
"He ran great, he always does," Brady said after the game. "He's a tough runner, a real smart runner. He's patient, he sees the holes. I thought we were balanced, ran the clock out at the end; that was important. When we call upon him we need him, and he makes the plays. That was great."
While Green-Ellis was proud of his career day, he noted he could not do it all by himself.
"It's always a challenge, and you want to be able to step up to the plate and knock it out of the park," he said after the game. "We were able to do those things, but it's just not an individual effort. There are 11 guys out there. Nothing happens without those guys out front, and I think they did a great job letting me get to where I needed to get to and making cuts on those guys."
Stats: Pats-Jets Box Score
With 27 carries to his name, there were times late in the game it looked like he was getting a little tired. But Green-Ellis said the way the Patriots practice, they don't get tired on Sundays.
"Coach runs us enough in practice that we don't get tired," he joked.
While it is likely all the hard work he and his fellow Patriots put in during the week, the color of his uniform could have come into play for Green-Ellis. The Patriots sported their throwback red uniforms on Sunday, the same ones they had on last Halloween when Green-Ellis ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
"Red is my favorite color, first off," said Green-Ellis. "I actually like the red throwbacks, they're my favorite uniform here."
The Patriots may want to turn back the clock more often.
