The New England Patriots offense entered its game against the Miami Dolphins with a laundry list of injuries, and it didn’t get any shorter on Sunday.
The team was already without three of its top four wide receivers, its No. 2 running back, its fullback, and its starters at both left and right guard. Then, in the early second quarter, it also lost starting tight end Hunter Henry to a foot injury.
And yet, it mattered not. While there were some first-half issues, the unit eventually regrouped and was
able to help the Patriots secure a 24-19 victory. Unsurprisingly, quarterback Drake Maye had a big hand in the come-from-behind win, but so did one of the seemingly most under-appreciated running backs in the NFL: Rhamondre Stevenson.
The sixth-year back finished with 82 rushing yards on 19 carries, three receptions for an extra 8 yards, and a successful onside kick recovery. The numbers may not stand out, but Stevenson’s impact on the Patriots is without question.
He is exactly the player their offense needs right now. Just listen to Mike Vrabel.
“He certainly does a lot for us,” New England’s head coach told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday. “He’s a versatile running back. He’s very good in protection. Plays extremely well without the football. Whether that’s chasing to try to help the guy get extra yards or protecting the guy with the ball. Ball security is critical. But, his protection on third down and when they blitz, I think that’s a strength of his.
“The things that he does on the football field tell me that he cares deeply about the team. I’ve enjoyed coaching him. I love how his growth has been as a leader in the running back room and in the offense. And then again, I’ll go back and say that there were times last year, when he didn’t take of the ball, that we did a terrible, horses—t job of protecting him. And again, there were times where he didn’t have good technique and there were times that we didn’t protect him. So, I think he’s continued to work hard at that, running hard and gaining yards after contact, but also taking care of the football.”
Ball security has been a concern about Stevenson since his rookie campaign. In fact, he lost a fumble on his second career touch — one of 18 total fumbles and 10 turnovers he has had over his career so far. He even had one earlier this year in a win over Pittsburgh.
However, while his fumble issues seemingly have been Stevenson’s defining characteristic in a nation-wide eye, he has shown that his performance makes up for it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to become one of the most prolific running backs in Patriots franchise history.
Stevenson also has been something the Patriots haven’t gotten out of their offensive personnel a lot this season: reliable.
Despite seeing a high number of reps week in and week out — he has more than double the snap count of the other running backs on the roster combined — he finds a way to make positive plays. He also does so without the support of some superb blocking; in fact, he likely would rank a lot higher than 22nd in the league in rushing yards (367), 28th in touchdowns (2) and 31st in yards per carry (3.8) if New England’s offensive line played at a more consistent level.
The fact that it doesn’t, at least in run blocking, is a direct result of the injuries up front. Right guard Mike Onwenu went down in Week 2, followed by his replacement, Greg Van Roten, in Week 3; left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker was lost in Week 6, while top backup Ben Brown also missed time.
That is not even touching on the injuries elsewhere on the offensive roster. Stevenson, meanwhile, has been a model of stability and availability, and a tone-setter for the entire unit even as the hits kept coming.
“He loves the football team,” said Vrabel after Sunday’s game. “You can see it by the way that he prepares, the way he plays, the way he protects the guys that don’t have the ball, or how he plays when he doesn’t have the ball, his ability to protect the quarterback when they blitz. It does a lot of things for us. He goes and covers the onside kick. And a lot of guys may let that go, but he wanted to go be the answer and be the reason why we were going to win the football game.”
