As the New England Patriots head into a Week 10 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they must find more success on the ground to take the load off quarterback Drake Maye. The second-year QB has excelled for the Patriots this season, but an inconsistent rushing attack that ranks 17th in the league (112.3 YPG) has prevented New England from taking that next step.
To compound issues, veteran Rhamondre Stevenson missed the Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons with a toe injury and has been absent from practice throughout the week. That did not change on Friday, and it didn't take head coach Mike Vrabel long to rule Stevenson out of Sunday's clash vs. the Bucs, per ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) and linebacker Christian Elliss (hip) will also miss Week 10.
With Stevenson out for a second consecutive game, that should pave the way for rookie TreVeyon Henderson to inherit the RB1 role again and have a second chance to earn some additional playing time, albeit against Tampa Bay's eighth-best rush defense (92.6 PPG).
Latest Rhamondre Stevenson News Gives TreVeyon Henderson Another Opportunity
With Stevenson's mediocre play and tendency to fumble, a lot was expected out of the rookie Henderson to potentially supplant him as the team's lead back. That has yet to happen with just 283 rush yards and one TD, not to mention an average of 4.2 yards per carry. While that is nearly a yard better than Stevenson's 3.4 yards per rush, Henderson only amassed 55 yards on the ground in place of Stevenson despite having a career-high 14 carries in the Week 9 win over Atlanta.
The Buccaneers have given up a league-high 466 receiving yards to RBs, an area New England's backs have not been stellar. While Stevenson has 16 catches for 169 yards and zero TDs, Henderson only has 131 receiving yards and posted only four catches for 32 yards when he was the lead back in Week 9.
That type of subpar play opened the door for rookie Terrell Jennings to get 11 carries for 35 yards and a TD, plus a nine-yard reception for good measure against the Falcons. He was not too flashy himself, but Vrabel certainly put Stevenson and Henderson on notice with his praise for Jennings on Wednesday.
"Terrell’s taken advantage of his opportunities," the Patriots' HC admitted. "He’s tasted it now, and now doesn’t want to give it up real easy."
The starting RB role should be Henderson's for the taking for now, but a stout Buccaneers run defense and his quiet role so far in the passing attack, an area Tampa Bay has struggled in, does not guarantee anything.
With Jennings receiving high praise from his coach and a relatively unimpressive rookie season up to this point for Henderson, it is time for the first-year runner to step up and provide a spark to this Patriots rushing attack with Stevenson sidelined, even if the matchup is not too favorable on Sunday.