Rhamondre Stevenson Breaks His Silence on Disastrous Start to the Season
By Ryan Bunton
After fumbling in each of New England's first four games, running back Rhamondre Stevenson is on some thin ice.
Amid comments from head coach Jerod Mayo suggesting that he could be supplanted by Antonio Gibson as the primary Patriots running back, Stevenson commented on the situation, holding himself accountable and expressing his disappointment in himself:
Rhamondre Stevenson: “I’m super tough on myself. I’m more disappointed in myself than anyone could ever be. It’s very simple - I just have to hold on to the ball and have that mentality to come up with the ball every time. It’s my job to do that and I haven’t been doing it well.”
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 2, 2024
Stevenson has fumbled in each of New England's four games this season – losing two of those. With the Patriots' offense struggling to put up points (their 13 points per game are the second-lowest in the league), New England simply can't afford to turn the ball over and leave points on the board.
In New England's upset Week 1 win, the fourth-year Patriot was at the center of the team's offensive game plan - running the ball 25 times for 120 yards and a touchdown. Since then, Stevenson's production has gradually declined. He had 21 carries for 81 yards in Week 2, six carries for 23 yards in Week 3, and 13 carries for 43 yards in Week 4.
With the Patriots having to play from behind in their last two games, the team has shifted away from their preferred run-first scheme – which has subsequently limited Stevenson's touches.
Asked about Stevenson's struggles with ball security on Wednesday, Mayo stated: "We can't preach that ball security is job security and still keep him out there all the time". The Patriots head coach also revealed that it was "definitely under consideration" for Antonio Gibson to step into Stevenson's starting role.
The former Patriots fourth-round pick acknowledged that the coaching staff had a decision to make while emphasizing that it would not impact his preparation for Sunday's divisional tilt with the Miami Dolphins:
"It's the elephant in the room; I've dropped the ball four times. So whatever the coaching staff has, I'm rocking with it. I'm going to practice hard like I always do."
- Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson was rewarded this past offseason with a four-year, $36 million contract with $17 million guaranteed. The deal made him the seventh-highest-paid running back in the league and he entered the season widely anticipated to be the Patriots bell cow back. That contract extension demands more reliability out of Stevenson than what he is currently giving the team.
Gibson, who signed with New England this offseason, has 29 carries for 155 yards this season. In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, he ran the ball 11 times for 96 yards at an impressive clip of 8.7 yards per carry – aided by a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter that many thought had sealed a Patriots win. He only had five rushes in Week 3 and six rushes in Week 4. Stevenson has fumbled four times in four games in 2024 while Gibson only fumbled four times in 16 games in all of 2023.
Stevenson's four fumbles lead all NFL running backs through four weeks. No other NFL back has more than two fumbles. He has 11 fumbles on 564 career carries.
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