The New England Patriots scored a marquee victory on Sunday night, defeating the Buffalo Bills on the road 23-20. The win could serve as some positive momentum in the first year under head coach Mike Vrabel and saw running back Rhamondre Stevenson serve as one of the focal points, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the victory.
While Stevenson was able to plow his way into the end zone, the real story was his penchant for putting the ball on the turf. Before the veteran RB redeemed himself with a pair of scores, he lost a fumble in the first quarter that came one play after the Patriots had recovered a fumble of his own. That drew Vrabel’s ire in the postgame and a declaration that the fumbles must end going forward.
“We gotta get this corrected, but we also need everybody’s skillset,” Vrabel said of Stevenson’s fumbles via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “And we want to be aggressive, but we don’t want to be reckless. You can’t relax. You can’t be two, three, four inches from the ground and let him go in there. We’ll keep practicing it and keep repping it. But to his credit, he was able to help in the end, like a lot of other guys. We need to get it fixed because we need his ability and his skillset, but we can’t put the ball on the ground.”
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Ball Security Is Turning into a Costly Concern for Patriots
Stevenson’s ball security issues aren’t new. Sunday’s fumble marked the third time in five games that he has put the ball on the turf this season, and he’s fumbled 10 times in his last 20 games. If it weren’t for the two touchdowns, Stevenson may have had an even worse night, as he had seven carries for 14 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards.
That production may never have happened if Antonio Gibson didn’t suffer an injury on a kickoff later in the game, but the two TDs show the importance that Stevenson has in the Patriots’ offense. At 6-foot, 227 pounds, Stevenson is the biggest back New England has on the roster, and his 23 career touchdowns show his proficiency as a short-yardage running back. He’s also the type of back that can carry a full workload, while rookie TreVeyon Henderson is more suited as a change-of-pace back.
If Gibson is out in the long term, it creates significant questions in the Patriots' backfield. Will Stevenson continue to lead? Or will Henderson finally get a chance to shine?
Stevenson may have issues hanging onto the ball, but he’s in the first year of a four-year, $36 million contract he signed last year, giving the Patriots significant cap penalties if they choose to move on. This could become an even bigger albatross if Stevenson can’t get his problems figured out and gives Vrabel a difficult challenge to solve as the Patriots look to continue their ascent to contention in the AFC.