FOXBOROUGH –  The Patriots offense hasn't brought much for their fans to be optimistic about through the preseason and the first game of the regular season.

Being the optimist he is, New England running back Damien Harris is confident that the unit is only going to get better. Harris acknowledged Thursday the reality of the Patriots' struggles so far on offense while also stating that they'll figure it out.

“I feel like we're not where we're going to be,” Harris said. “I think the confidence is that we're going to get there at some point. It's a work in progress. It's a long season. We're going into Week 2. So, I don't think anybody or any team where they are going to be at the end of the year. You have to continue to have confidence in one another – coaches and players have confidence in each other and just continue to go out there and improve. We're going to get to where we want to be.”

The Patriots hope what it showed in Week 1 is not the finished product on offense. It scored just seven points in a loss to the Miami Dolphins while also committing three turnovers.

A layer of difficulty to figure things out was added for the Patriots earlier in the week. Ty Montgomery, who received the primary duty as the running back on passing plays, was placed on injured reserve. That rules him out for at least the next four games. Montgomery had three receptions for 15 yards and graded well as a pass-blocker in the Week 1 loss to the Dolphins.

Harris and fellow Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson haven't really been deployed much on passing downs in their young NFL careers. Even if he or Stevenson has to take on the added role of playing as the pass-blocker and receiver out of the backfield, Harris is approaching each week without Montgomery the way usually would

“Nothing really [changes], we've just got to go out there and do our jobs. Each player, each individual – as an offense and as a team, collectively – we've just got to go out there and do our job. It's unfortunate what happened to Ty, but everyone's got a job to do. It's our job to do it.”

Will Harris be used more on passing downs than usual?

“You'll see on Sunday.”

The Patriots' Week 2 matchup will reunite Harris with a former college teammate: Najee Harris. Damien Harris couldn't help but reminisce about his time at Alabama.

“It’s an incredible honor to play running back at Alabama,” the Patriots running back said. “To see Najee again and play against him will be a lot of fun. He’s obviously having a lot of success. He’s really fun to watch. It’ll be good to see him, play against him and continue that legacy that lives in the Alabama running back room.”

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Both Alabama running backs have had strong starts to their respective careers. Damien Harris had 15 rushing touchdowns in 2021 while Najee Harris was fourth in the league in rushing as a rookie last season with 1,200 yards.

The Patriots' Harris shared how playing at Alabama helps prepare players to excel at the NFL level.

“The best part about playing in Alabama was that you’re playing against the best, whether it was across the ball or guys in your position room,” Harris said. “I was fortunate to play with a lot of great running backs and there were a lot of greats who came before me. Just being able to be part of that legacy and be a guy who makes it to the league and has a little bit of success, is something that’s really important to that room.”

Damien Harris didn't have too spectacular of a Week 1 performance. The Patriots tailback rushed for 48 yards on nine carries. Maybe sharing a field with Najee Harris will help bring out the best in him and Alabama product Mac Jones on Sunday to help New England's offense find its groove.