Fifth-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson was a key part of the New England Patriots' 23-20 upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night with the team's only touchdowns of the game. He had little impact beyond his pair of scores, though, only tallying seven carries for 14 yards and two catches for 13 yards.
The biggest takeaway from Stevenson in the win, though, was his fumble in the first quarter, which came on the first play after New England recovered a fumble from Buffalo. That was Stevenson's third fumble in five games this season and the 17th of his career. Head coach Mike Vrabel put Stevenson on notice after the game, and Patriots fans are hoping it'll make a difference because something has to give at some point.
Additionally, the Patriots' loyalty to their veteran RB is coming at his rookie teammate's loss.
Patriots Are Ignoring TreVeyon Henderson in Favor of Rhamondre Stevenson
Until Stevenson punched it in the end zone on Sunday night, he had not scored a TD all season. According to Pro Football Focus, Stevenson's overall grade (56.6) is 39th out of 47 qualified RBs in the league, which begs the question of why New England continues to turn to him instead of giving second-round draft pick TreVeyon Henderson a shot.
Henderson had six carries for a team-high 24 yards against the Bills, averaging four yards per carry, opposed to Stevenson's two. He has appeared in all five of New England's games this season with 32 carries for 121 yards and a TD, in addition to 15 catches for 90 yards. As impressive as the versatility has been in the backfield and as an additional threat in the passing game, Henderson has not committed a fumble this season, proving his case for a starting role even more.
Yet, despite the lack of mistakes, New England continues to limit the first-year RB's usage. The Patriots can't expect Henderson to play confidently if he rarely sees opportunities; however, a chance to prove himself may have just popped up.
Fellow RB Antonio Gibson, who has 106 rush yards and a TD on the ground, plus 293 kickoff return yards and a TD on 10 returns this season, left Sunday night's game with what appears to be a serious knee injury after getting tackled on a return in the second quarter. While Stevenson leads the team in carries (38) and rushing yards (139), Gibson's injury could be an opportunity for Henderson to step up and take on an increased role.
Although he is second on the team in snaps at RB (123), Henderson has not played in more than 50% of the snaps up to this point. Given the continued struggles Stevenson has had keeping the ball, combined with Gibson's absence, it would make sense for New England to give their rookie runner an uptick in touches. Otherwise, it would seem like the front office wasted a second-round pick on a player it has no intention of using.
With 23 career TDs and a physicality in short-yardage situations, Stevenson brings a lot to the team if it were not for his fumbles. After each of its AFC East rivals lost on Sunday, New England is in an excellent spot after proving that it can go toe-to-toe with the best in the league.
In order for the Patriots to take that next step, some consistency in the run game could go a long way, which should include giving Henderson an increased workload to see what he brings to the offense — especially if Stevenson continues to drop the ball. Literally.