After back-to-back tough losses in the final seconds due to the mishaps of Rhamondre Stevenson, it’s worth acknowledging that the sophomore running back has taken on an unprecedented role in the Patriots’ offense.
At the beginning of 2021, Stevenson was a healthy scratch on game days, but as the season went on, the Oklahoma product was consistently used as a backup to Damien Harris. He saw 157 touches, 133 rushing attempts, and 18 targets in his rookie year. This year he has already almost doubled or tripled all of his numbers. Stevenson has 258 touches, 79 targets, and 196 rushing attempts. Last year, Stevenson racked up 729 scrimmage yards; this year, to date, he is up to 1,338 yards from scrimmage. Below is a full comparison of the usage between 2021 and 2022.
Part of his increase in usage is due to the absence of Damien Harris, who has missed six games this year due to various injuries. In addition, the Patriots’ offense doesn’t have efficient and consistent skill players, so Bill Belichick can’t afford to take Stevenson off the field. That has led the 24-year-old to show signs of fatigue.
The last two games have been lost in the final seconds due to Stevenson “trying to do too much” with the football. The 2021 fourth-round pick fumbled the previous week on the goal line against the Bengals and caused a late defensive touchdown against the Raiders by lateraling the ball to Jakobi Meyers.
Meanwhile, Stevenson is also dealing with an ankle injury and has been limited in practice for the last three weeks. When asked about his injury and his condition through 16 weeks, he said, “I’d say I’m feeling it… I feel what everyone talks about with the NFL season. But I feel like I’m doing a good job taking care of my body and trying to stay proactive more than anything. But yeah, I’m feeling the season, for sure.”
He later told reporters: “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever tapped (out) since I’ve been in the league so far. But I’ll be tired out there, to be honest. I just like to fight through it. Just next play, hope my team needs me on the next play, so I’m prepared to be there for them.”
The second-year running back will need to put all on the line against Miami this Sunday in a must-win game.
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My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
