FOXBORO -- Welcome back Sammy Morris.

Morris and Laurence Maroney provided an effective 1-2 punch last season in the running game before Morris suffered a season-ending chest/collarbone injury last October.

And that came after back-to-back 100 yard games, which he achieved for the first time in his career.

Playing for the first time in a regular-season game since the injury, Morris said that he was very excited to be out on the field.

New England fans were just as happy to see him, because he carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and scored a touchdown. In addition, he caught five passes for 34 yards.

"I felt good," Morris said. "It's been a long time for me. I haven't played since last October, so it's been a long time coming."

Maroney also rushed the ball 10 times. He finished with 51 yards.

"I could have been better but, for the most part I feel I played fairly well," Maroney said. "The o-line did a good job getting me to the line of scrimmage, and after that anything can happen."

Maroney said he knew the running backs were going to have to play a good game after quarterback Tom Brady was injured with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter.

"We knew everyone had to step up on offense and defense, and especially us as running backs, and set the tone for the game," Morris said.

The Patriots amassed 126 rushing yards and averaged 4.5 yards per rush.