Patriots Begin Week With Concerning Rhamondre Stevenson News

The New England Patriots sorely missed starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson last week against the Houston Texans. The Patriots had 82 rushing yards as a team in their 20-point loss, with rookie quarterback Drake Maye as the leading rusher (38 yards).

Stevenson missed last week’s game with a foot injury as he didn’t practice leading up to the Week 6 matchup. Without the veteran running back in the backfield, the Pats turned to Antonio Gibson, Terrell Jennings, and JaMycal Hasty.

Gibson had a tough time running the ball against the Texans, recording 19 yards on 13 carries. But he had three receptions (four targets) for 24 yards. Jennings posted 13 yards on five carries, while Hasty had 12 yards.

New England hopes to have Stevenson for this week’s contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, but it's not off to a good start.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that the 26-year-old running back was not spotted at the media-access portion of practice. This isn’t great news for the Patriots, but they still have Thursday and Friday to hopefully get him on the practice field.

The Jaguars’ defense has been okay against the run this season, allowing 113.3 yards per game and seven rushing touchdowns. Last week, Jacksonville’s run defense gave up 91 yards and a touchdown to Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift.

Therefore, the Pats need a healthy Stevenson or Antonio Gibson on Sunday to keep Jacksonville’s defensive line out of Maye’s face.

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