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          Patriots RB Damien Harris carries four Jets into the end zone on 26-yard TD run

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterSep 19, 2021, 05:30 PM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was redemption for New England Patriots running back Damien Harris.

          After losing a crushing fumble in a season-opening loss, Harris had one of the plays of the game in the Patriots' Week 2 road game against the New York Jets -- a 26-yard touchdown rumble in which he made multiple Jets miss and then carried four defenders into the end zone with him.

          Providing a little extra oomph, center David Andrews and quarterback Mac Jones helped push Harris over the goal line.

          Potential repercussions for Harris' fumble last week was a top storyline, and he had said after the game that he wouldn't let the play define him.

          Then he went out and proved it with a highlight-reel run in the third quarter that staked the Patriots to a 19-3 lead.

          The run was critical because it came after Jets quarterback Zach Wilson's fourth interception, and up to that point, the Patriots hadn't been able to make him really pay for those miscues.

          While Harris remained the Patriots' lead running back, there was a trickle-down effect for rookie Rhamondre Stevenson, who had also fumbled in the opener (and missed a blitz pickup). Stevenson, the fourth-round pick from Oklahoma, was inactive in place of second-year player J.J. Taylor.