Stevan Ridley

Every week over the course of the regular season, we’ll present a list of the Patriots’ “offensive touches,” a running tally of which one of the offensive skill position players is getting the most looks. Like our weekly look at targets, it can occasionally be an inexact stat, but it remains a good barometer of how confident the coaches (and quarterback) are when it comes to the skill position players at their disposal. Two weeks into the regular season, here’s a breakdown of the New England offense for 2012:

Stevan Ridley: 44 (39 rushes, 5 catches). Seven negative plays.
Danny Woodhead: 15 (14 rushes, 1 catch). One negative play.
Brandon Lloyd: 13 (0 rushes, 13 catches).
Rob Gronkowski: 12 (0 rushes, 12 catches).
Wes Welker: 8 (0 rushes, 8 catches).
Aaron Hernandez: 7 (1 rush, 6 catches).
Julian Edelman: 6 (0 rushes, 6 catches).
Brandon Bolden: 5 (5 rushes, 0 catches). One negative play.
Tom Brady: 3 (3 rushes, 0 catches.) Five sacks and two kneel downs.

Other offensive notes: Of its 78 plays from scrimmage on Sunday, New England was in no-huddle for 19 of them — 24 percent, which is about the team’s average over the last year-plus. But eight times before the start of the fourth quarter, the Patriots ran no-huddle plays, and on six of those occasions, New England got one yard or less. You can’t sustain a hurryup with that lack of momentum, and it showed on the lack of flow on offense. … Through two weeks, the Patriots have been in no huddle for 24.8 percent of their total offensive snaps. … After two weeks, New England is in the Top 10 in every major offensive category, including total offense (sixth, 388.5 yards per game), rushing offense (ninth, 126 yards per game) and pass offense (eighth, 262.5 yards per game). … Ridley is fifth in the league with 196 yards. Meanwhile, Lloyd is tied for third in the AFC with 13 catches.