When the New England Patriots drafted former Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, fans knew he would be seeing the field sooner rather than later for head coach Mike Vrabel’s squad.
While Henderson’s involvement came due to an injury to veteran Rhamondre Stevenson, the rookie has made the most of his opportunities, dazzling as the Patriots’ starting running back. After an impressive breakout game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10, Henderson has built upon that outing on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets in Week 11.
TreVeyon Henderson Chasing Greatness on Thursday Night Football
After limited use all season, the Patriots finally unleashed Henderson against the Buccaneers in Stevenson’s absence as the rookie rushed 14 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Just a week later, facing off against the Jets in an AFC East showdown, the rookie improved upon his breakout game. At the time of writing, Henderson rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, along with catching five passes for 31 yards and a ten-yard touchdown.
He was responsible for all of the Patriots’ offensive points through the first three quarters of the game. Henderson is currently ranked #22 among running backs in the league according to PFSN’s WR Impact metric.
TRE BALL FOR TRE.
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While three touchdowns in a game is impressive, it’s a far cry from the rookie record of six touchdowns by Chicago Bears RB Gale Sayers against the San Francisco 49ers in 1965. Henderson is not the only rookie to score three touchdowns this season.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty scored three touchdowns against the Chicago Bears in Week 4. New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo scored three against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. Cleveland Browns running back Qunishon Judkins scored three against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. Finally, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey did it against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
While Henderson and all the rookies are chasing Sayers, no other rookies have scored five touchdowns in one game. Most recently, Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane scored four touchdowns against the Broncos during Miami’s infamous 70-20 win in 2023.
The only non-running back to achieve the honor was Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool, who scored four touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 5 of the 2020 season. However, there was a six-year gap in four-touchdown rookie outings as the last player to do it before Claypool was Patriots running back Jonas Gray against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11.