Sony Michel rarely — if ever — takes credit for anything. If he’s taking credit, it might be for a mishap or a shortcoming.
So when the New England Patriots running back fielded a question about scoring the only touchdown in Super Bowl LIII, a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Michel answered in the only way he has answered all season when asked about personal success.
“I wish we could change me having the only touchdown [in Super Bowl LIII],” Michel said on Thursday. “I wish it was like we had the only touchdown as an offense. You know what I’m saying? Because if you watch the play, it was a wide-open hole. Anybody could have run though that hole.
“Offensive line did a great job. James Develin, the fullback, and the receivers did a great job of doing their assignments. Just overall, it was a great executed play.”
Maybe the answer seems forced to some. Maybe Michel comes off as going through the motions of being a good teammate. But this is exactly how he’s gone about speaking with the media since the first time he had success with New England.
“Everything was the O-line,” Michel said in October after a Week 6 win over the Chiefs. “There was holes. It was probably hard [to see] from you guys’ perspective, but there was holes down there. But, yes, we made some plays, but we left yards out there. There were some that I thought could have been even bigger plays, but that’s football.”
Then Michel recorded a monstrous game in Week 12 with 21 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets.
“Couldn’t ask for a better situation,” he told reporters at his locker on Nov. 29, “and I’m thankful for it.”
The situation is good. The offensive line is good. The coaching is good. But Michel, according to Michel, is a product of all of those good things. After Super Bowl LIII, when Michel had 18 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown, he seems to have the same mindset.
The 2018 first-round pick has demonstrated maturity beyond his year.
