Patriots Heap Praise on TreVeyon Henderson’s 3-TD Outing

Henderson had 19 rushes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with 5 receptions for 31 yards and a score.

TreVeyon Henderson (32) of the New England Patriots is pursued by Ja'Sir Taylor (36) of the New York Jets during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Nov. 13, 2025. Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson had his coming-out party in Foxboro on Nov. 13.

Henderson has been used sparingly by the Patriots through the first half of the season. But injuries to the running back stable forced Henderson to assume a larger role in the Pats’ rushing attack, and he has repaid their trust with two breakout performances in back-to-back weeks. His three-touchdown performance against the New York Jets earned him plenty of plaudits from his teammates.

“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” said quarterback Drake Maye—who found Henderson 5 times for 31 yards and a touchdown in the passing game—at a postgame press conference. “I think it was a big time for him stepping up, and it’s been great for him to get all these reps. He wants to be great. He’s just showing up every day and asking questions. ... Him and [Rhamondre Stevenson] and our backs, we'll create a good little one-two thing going. Looking forward to have [Rhamondre] back, but TreVeyon stepped up huge.”

Maye joked that the “MVP” chants Patriots fans have been directing toward Maye for his performance all season may have been for Henderson on Nov. 13.

Henderson’s receiving stats came on top of 19 carries for 62 yards and two scores. His first score came early in the second quarter. On first and goal from the Jets’ 7-yard line, Henderson took an inside toss play to the left. He spun around but was wrapped up by linebacker Jamien Sherwood. Several Patriots linemen piled in and pushed Henderson into the end zone. Later in the quarter, on 1st and goal from the 7, Henderson took a handoff on a power run and sliced through the defense for his second touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, on 2nd and 5 from the New York 6, Henderson ran a fade route out of the backfield; Maye found him wide open in the end zone for the hat trick.

“I was happy for him,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said at his locker after the game. “Young boy’s ballin', man. Just got to keep it rolling. ... Everybody’s feeding off each other. It’s exciting time to be a part of the New England Patriots.”

Diggs gave props to the offensive line for facilitating Henderson’s success, especially on the pile-push touchdown.

“I think when it comes down to individual success, it breeds team success,” he said. “When you see pile-pushes and stuff like that, it’s a team effort. Everybody scored a touchdown. He might get all the shine, but I think he’s one of those people that'll be the first one to tell you that he didn’t do it by himself.”

Indeed, at his own postgame press conference, Henderson was effusive toward his offensive line for making his job easier.

“It feels good,” he said. “It lets you know that your teammates, they care, and they’re out there fighting. I really thank those guys for fighting and just for going the extra mile. It really does mean a lot.”

Henderson exploded onto the scene during the preseason: his first-ever touch in the NFL was a 99-yard kick return TD; he scored his first rushing touchdown in the second week, squeezing through the Minnesota Vikings defense from 10 yards out. But the Patriots had gone into the regular season with Stevenson as their workhorse back. Henderson was relegated to a reserve role and return duties. His largest workload through the first seven weeks was 11 carries for 28 yards in the Patriots’ Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers; he had single-digit touches in each of the other 6 games. He scored his first regular-season TD against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.

Henderson’s workload finally began to tick up in Week 8, when he had 10 touches for 75 yards against the Cleveland Browns. When Stevenson went down with a toe injury, Henderson saw his workload increase further. He had a breakout game last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with 14 carries for 147 yards, including touchdown runs of 55 and 69 yards. He currently leads the team in rushing with 492 yards on 100 carries.

“I think he’s been consistent, day in, day out, even those times where he wasn’t maybe producing like everybody thought, but takes time too,” tight end Hunter Henry said after the game. “This is a new offense for him, there’s a lot of new intangibles protection-wise, running the football there’s new schemes. ... He’s young, he’s a rookie, so he’s still learning a lot week after week, but obviously he’s playing some really good football for us.”

Henderson said his rookie season so far has been a “journey” replete with highs and lows, but he is taking advantage of his opportunities and taking the hard coaching from the Patriots’ staff.