If the New England Patriots want to go far in the playoffs next month, they’ll need to make some important decisions when it comes down to rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Now that’s not to say that the Patriots won’t be able to suceed with the running backs they have in the room right now. Starter Rhamondre Stevenson has seemingly avoided his early-season fumbling issues to be a productive in-line runner, while backup D’Ernest Johnson is more than capable of filling in if needed.

But Henderson is the engineer that makes this running attack operate at such a high level. Whether it’s zone runs off tackle, or being a willing pass blocker for his quarterback, Henderson has become ultra-valuable for New England during this 12-3 season.

After suffering what looked like a severe head injury last week in Baltimore, the rookie donned the red non-contact uniform at practice before being upgraded from limited participation to questionable for this week’s game against the New York Jets.

The Patriots Need To Be Careful With TreVeyon Henderson

So should he even play against the Jets? Is it even worth it?

“They wanted to be out there, they go to college and they want to be out there, and then they go to the NFL and they want to be out there,” Vrabel said earlier in the week about players wanting to return from injury. “You only get one opportunity a week. It means a lot to them. Love for guys to find ways in as opposed to looking for ways out. But then, sometimes that’s not always the case. They can’t go in there. So, we appreciate everyone that makes an effort to finish the game or get to the game, whatever that may be and whatever capacity that they can help us. So, I think that’s just what they – it’s all they know.”

The Jets are sitting, once again, in the basement of the AFC East, and the Patriots are just two wins away from capturing their first division title in years. The Patriots are heavy favorites against New York this week, but are more than capable of beating them by multiple scores — with or without Henderson.

They need to be careful with him, especially with Terrell Jennings also sitting on IR with a concussion. Head coach Mike Vrabel wouldn’t disclose what part of concussion protocol Henderson was in two days before the game, but his status will be up in the air.

When it gets cold, and teams need to have a reliable ground game to win playoff games, having as many healthy players as possible is important. For New England, their running back room on both the active roster and practice squad has been a revolving door. Just this week, they signed veteran Elijah Mitchell to the practice squad just in case.

Henderson, who’s rushes (148), rushing yards (776) and rushing touchdowns (seven) are most on the team, can bring a big play ability to an offense looking to win their first playoff game since Super Bowl LIII back in the 2018 season. For him to truly impact New England’s championship run, they need to make sure he’s fully healthy — even if it means sitting him to end the regular season.