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It took tight end Hunter Henry a while to get acclimated to the Patriots offense but the free agent acquisition is finally starting to get comfortable in the system and it shows with how much he is producing of late.
Henry has caught seven touchdown passes in the Patriots last seven games. He has emerged as Mac Jones go to guy in the red zone. Henry credits the work the two put in at practice as the primary reason they have developed a strong chemistry
“There is a lot of work that is put in throughout the week. I think that’s continuing to grow as you see as the season has progressed. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Everybody else sees the stuff that goes on when we’re playing but there is a lot of work that builds up to that. All that stuff is kind of paying off week by week and we just have to continue to improve and get better every day and take advantage of those opportunities.”
The Patriots have been looking to replace Rob Gronkowski’s production for the past two years. After failing to do so in free agency and the draft, Bill Belichick went back to free agency this off season in adding Henry and Jonnu Smith. Smith has had his moments but Henry has clearly been the better fit.
Henry is a terrific route runner who knows how to get separation, especially in the red zone. Factor in his size and you see why he is such an appealing target to Jones.
Jones credits Henry for getting open in the red zone but he also credits offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and his game planning for the Patriots success in the red zone.
“I think just with the red zone, we always have a good plan with Josh [McDaniels], and he does a really good job scheming everybody up. My job is to get it to the person that’s supposed to get the ball, and Hunter does a great job getting open and he has a really good feel for red zone offense and running routes and blocking and finding his little spot in the zone or in the end zone. So he does a good job of that and all our guys do. We have great receivers and at some point, we just have to figure out ways to spread the ball around and continue to get points in the red zone and that’s the most important part is getting the six points versus kicking a field goal and getting three.”
The Jones to Henry connection has helped revive a red zone offense that was struggling at the beginning of the season. The Patriots are not only scoring more passing touchdowns in the red zone but they are also scoring more rushing touchdowns as well. The improved red zone production has made New England’s offense more potent.
The Patriots are starting to hit their stride offensively. They are getting contributions from multiple players but no one is on the same page with Jones more than Henry right now. The two have a natural chemistry and that rapport is a big reason for the Patriots recent success offensively.