Rookie Running Back Jaret Patterson Shines Against Bengals' Defense

The undrafted rookie was impressive on Friday night.

Author:
Elise Jesse
Publish date:
Aug 21, 2021 11:54 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — Preseason football has a beauty to it that is unmatched. Yes, it's fun to see what your team’s first-round draft pick will look like in a game situation, but you expect high drafted guys to perform well.

The real excitement comes from the underdogs, the players who are looked at as long shots to make the team, the men who need to dominate every single rep, put great tape out there, and make their names known in hopes of making one of the available roster spots on an NFL team.

We all enjoy seeing undrafted rookies have break-out games unless it’s against our favorite team. That happened to Bengals fans on Friday night against the Washington Football Team.

Jaret Patterson, an undrafted rookie out of Buffalo, made headlines after another impressive performance. He led Washington in rushing (10 carries, 40 yards) and receiving (four catches, 30 yards) last week against New England.

The 5-foot-8 running back continued to make his case with a breakout game against Cincinnati’s defense on Friday night.

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t lose sleep over mistakes or dusty performances in the preseason knowing that every player out there is getting used to the speed of the game, getting into game shape, working on new plays, and locking down the mental aspect of their jobs. In fact, I would say I welcome mistakes in the preseason because it gives roster locks and hopefuls the opportunity to experience the mistake, see it on film, and then go into practice and make corrections for when those reps count towards real wins and losses.

The Bengals defense allowed Patterson to be a star in week two of the preseason as he showed off his effective ground game rushing for 71 yards on 16 carries. He also barreled his way into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, caught three passes for 25 yards and returned a kick for 37 yards.

^{“He’s an explosive and young dynamic back,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said after the game. “We gave him some opportunities early on with the first bunch and he did a nice job with that. Then when the second bunch was in there, two-on-two, I thought that he really showed his ability. And again, you’ve got to be able to do it consistently, so we’ll see. He’ll get some more opportunities.”}

Patterson, a superb player in college has had to prove his abilities at the NFL level because of his size. While at Buffalo he racked 3,884 yards on the ground in 33 games. His collegiate career is highlighted by a 409-yard, eight-touchdown game in his final season.

At just 5-foot-8 and under 200 pounds, NFL decision-makers were curious if he’d be able to make an impact at the highest level in the sport, and after Friday night’s performance, it seems his style of play works well at the pro level.

The Bengals defense will go back to work this week as they start to iron out some kinks, make better reads, and get sharper on the tackling front.

You never want to see Bengals defenders bouncing off of a running back, wrapping guys up and gang tackling should be a priority moving forward towards the regular-season opener.

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