Sony Michel Hasn't Broken a Single Tackle This Year and We're Not Even Mad, That's Amazing

Once again, the New England Patriots are good enough that every little ding against their sterling reputation seems like a point of pride for the haters. This, though? This is pretty weird.

Pats running back Sony Michel is having a decent season, but that comes in spite of a remarkable statistic that currently bodes very poorly for his progress.

Though quite contradictory to a statistic from Michel's rookie season, it turns out Michel has not broken a single tackle this season, despite rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns in four games. Because Bill Belichick usually utilizes two or three running backs pretty evenly, Michel remains the team's leading rusher, but don't expect him to fight his way out of a crowd.

Considering the Pats have a superior defense and are literally undefeated, though, it doesn't come up too often.

Think about it, though. This stat could mean two things.

The first is that Michel goes completely untouched during successful running plays until someone tackles him. This proves the absolute success of the offensive line, as well as Michel's skill in the open field.

The second thing is that Michel is just a pure and graceful runner rather than a back who will try to run over defenders. It reduces injury and gets him further away from the opposition.

Michel's contributions will be even more important if our analysis is correct about the Patriots' passing game.