The New England Patriots have a lot to feel good about after their 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. By the time Week 6 ends, they could be in first place in the AFC East. But a big issue for the Patriots is what’s going on in the backfield, as Rhamondre Stevenson has fumbled everything but his starting job.
Stevenson had another rough afternoon as he ran 13 times for 18 yards and couldn’t haul in his lone target in the passing game. While the performance brought his totals from the last two games to 17 attempts for 33 yards, head coach Mike Vrabel may finally have to face the music and shake up the Patriots’ backfield heading into a Week 7 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Struggles Could Force Major Changes for the Patriots
Stevenson’s job has been under fire since the season began. While he’s in the first year of a four-year, $36 million contract extension signed last season, he hasn’t backed it up with his play, running 51 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, that doesn’t make Patriots fans feel any better about one of their biggest worries, as Stevenson has fumbled 10 times since the start of last season, including a league-leading three fumbles this year.
While the fifth-year pro has played badly enough to lose his job, that didn’t happen on Sunday afternoon. According to NFL Network fantasy analyst Michael F. Florio, Stevenson played 71% of the snaps during the win over the Saints compared to 29% for rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson wasn’t effective either, with just nine carries for 27 yards, but it’s clear that this backfield split isn’t working.
Still, Vrabel seems willing to live through Stevenson’s mistakes. Part of it could be his contract, which would saddle New England with $8 million in dead money if he were released by June 1, 2026. The other part of it is Stevenson’s ability to be a bellcow back while Henderson is best suited in a timeshare dating back to his days with Quinshon Judkins at Ohio State.
Whatever it is, the Patriots need to figure it out. New England ranked 27th with 95.2 rushing yards per game entering Sunday, and for as good as Drake Maye has been, they probably don’t want him as their leading rusher, as was the case in the win over the Saints. That means Stevenson’s performance on Sunday could be the final straw and finally could inspire change in the Patriots’ backfield.