Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson Handles His Chance At Redemption

Rhamondre Stevenson knows the reality. He knows that his team does not need him if the fumbles continue.

But versus the NFL’s last unbeaten on Sunday night, the New England Patriots did. What became a 23-20 AFC East upset win also became a running back’s redemption. Right where the Buffalo Bills had won 14 consecutive games in the regular season dating back to 2023.

“I think it was a big win for our team, a division win,” Stevenson said during his postgame press conference at Highmark Stadium. “I’m just proud of our team and how we fought and fought to the end. Me personally, I got to clean that up. But yeah, I think I bounced back in a way. But I got to clean that up.”

At the 8:21 mark in the first quarter, Stevenson’s first catch of the game never saw a knee or elbow hit the ground. Not by the time Shaq Thompson punched the football out. Fellow Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard fell on it.

As the visiting offense returned to the sideline, so did the narrative.

Between the losses and the recoveries, it stood as the 17th fumble of an NFL career spanning 61 games for Stevenson. The product of Cerritos College and the University of Oklahoma had led all non-quarterbacks around the league in that category last campaign. And in September against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that was well aware, he let a pair slip away.

But Sunday’s game wouldn’t. An active roster featuring three running backs soon was left with two. Veteran Antonio Gibson stayed down after fumbling a kickoff return in the second quarter and was quickly ruled out with a knee injury. An MRI has since confirmed a season-ending torn ACL, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

The absence in Orchard Park led to an increased share for second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson. It also led to head coach Mike Vrabel, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and others placing trust in a starter not far removed from a four-year, $36 million contract extension.

“I think that gave me a ton of confidence to just keep my head a little level,” Stevenson said of the support. “It could get frustrating. I have three fumbles in a couple of games. But I’m going to tighten it up, I’m going to go to work every week, just try to get better and try to clean it up. But yeah, my teammates and Coach Vrabes and McDaniels, all of them behind me, it means the world. I just need to follow up and do my part.”

Stevenson’s eventful evening brought seven rushes for 14 yards and two receptions for 13 yards. The No. 120 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft made them count after halftime.

The score read 6-3 at intermission. But near the goal line in the third and fourth quarters, Stevenson’s quarterback turned to him to cap off drives spanning 74 and 90 yards. Those opportunities gave New England a 13-10 lead and then a 20-10 lead.

“Yeah, shoot. That’s the story of life, of football,” team captain Drake Maye told reporters after going 22-of-30 passing for 273 yards with no turnovers. “Adversity. Being able to bounce back. He was still running hard. He was running as hard as he could. And just going to be trusting Rhamondre the whole season. We need him. He’s a great player and he’s fun to watch.”

Stevenson stayed in to play 31 out of 60 offensive snaps while also taking on return duties for the shorthanded depth chart.

The scouting report remains the same. The same goes for the expectations.

“We got to get it corrected, but we also need everybody’s skillset,” Vrabel said Sunday as the Patriots climbed to 3-2. “We want to be aggressive, but we don’t want to be reckless. You can’t relax. You can’t be two, three, four inches from the ground and let them go in there. We’ll just keep practicing it, keep repping it. But to his credit, he was able to help us in the end like a lot of other guys. We got to get it fixed because we need his ability, his skillset, but we can’t put the ball on the ground.”