Late Audition: New England Patriots' Kevin Harris Scores in Loss to Kansas City Chiefs
Kevin Harris was made for late-season action ... albeit in the most macabre way possible.
Harris is one of several New England Patriots with plenty to play for despite their early elimination from the AFC playoff bracket. The sixth-rounder from the 2022 draft had not appeared in any game this season before Sunday's visit from the Kansas City Chiefs and could find himself on the roster bubble when the Patriots hold training camp next summer.
Harris' run for glory during Sunday's loss
Eric Canha, USA TODAY SPORTS
But Harris was wise enough to take advantage of his opportunity, putting up one of the rare examples of Patriot power to the tune of an 18-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter. It wound up being New England's final score in a 27-17 defeat at the hands of the defending champion Chiefs and allowed the Patriots (3-11) to avoid a blank space in the second half scoring summary with Taylor Swift in attendance.
"It felt good," Harris said, per the Patriots' official site. "The o-line did great on that play, so I give praise to them. It was a good call, followed my blockers and I scored."
An injury to Rhamondre Stevenson and the waiving of Ty Montgomery paved the path to Harris' playing time on Sunday.
New England's rushing picture is one of the rare areas where the team is relatively secure thanks to Stevenson, who is probably better off sitting for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury that afforded Harris his opportunity in the first place. With Ezekiel Elliott working on a pricey one-year deal, Harris has a chance to make a name for himself over these final hours.
Though his time has been limited, Harris has at least had a nose for the end zone, previously getting six during a rookie season visit to Arizona. New England has at least been somewhat diligent about getting touchdowns in the red zone (13th in six-point rate inside the opponent's 20) but Harris could well be auditioning for a spot in the next step of the New England rebuilding.
Spurts like Sunday's can only help.
"Kevin, I mean he's been working his tail off all year," Elliott lauded. "He's a guy who for a lot of years had to take a lot of scout team reps by himself. Never complained, always came to work, always showed up. We saw him reap the benefits of that."
Time will tell if Harris continues to get snaps over the final three: New England's trek to the finish continues on Christmas Eve when they face the Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network).
