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FOXBOROUGH – Rhamondre Stevenson is looking to turn the page on his costly fumble that led to the New England Patriots' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
Before the running back moves forward though, he knows he has to make sure that he doesn't make a similar mistake in the final two games of the regular season. But Stevenson certainly has some big fans in the Patriots' coaching stuff, including the most important person: Bill Belichick.
The Patriots coach said Monday that he wasn't going to second-guess what Stevenson did to try and break tackles with New England at Cincinnati's 5-yard line before fumbling with a minute left. Stevenson was relieved with how his coaches handled the miscue with him following Saturday's game.
“Well, I feel like I'm my biggest critic,” Stevenson said. “So, I was on myself more than I even thought Coach Bill [Belichick] was going to get on me and my running back coach [Vinnie Sunseri]. Just personally, I know what I did wrong. I think they know that I know that I messed up. So, they're going to just put it my hands and know what I did wrong and just tighten up.”
Rhamondre Stevenson on his fumble from the other day “I’m my biggest critic. I was harder on myself than I thought coach [Bill] Belichick would be.”#Patriots #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/7UD865uzIq
— Conor Roche (@ConorRoche27) December 29, 2022
Stevenson learned one crucial thing though from that moment when a defense all comes together and tries to tackle him.
“Just making a conscious effort to just hang on to it and know they're going after it,” the Patriots RB said.
Stevenson's fumble is one of the very few blunders he's had this season, which is a bit surprising because of the tremendous workload he's had. With Damien Harris missing the majority of the last three months, Stevenson's been the lone running back for New England on many occasions and has increased his workload as a receiver, catching 62 passes so far this season.
The second-year back admitted that he's starting to feel the physical nature of the game catchup to him, but believes he can power through it if his mind is right.
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“I would say I'm feeling it [physically],” Stevenson said. “I feel the way everyone talks about the NFL season. I feel like I'm doing a good job taking care of my body and just trying to stay more proactive than anything. But yeah, I feel it this season, for sure.”
“I would say it's a mental thing. It's a long season and big guys tackling you,” Stevenson added. “It's physical every week, so just staying on top of it is the best you can do.”
Rhamondre Stevenson discusses how he's holding up physically going into week 17 vs. the #Dolphins pic.twitter.com/0v2ZZsVKvI
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) December 29, 2022
Stevenson's fumble was the second straight week that the Patriots' offense made a costly blunder in a losing effort. Obviously, a week prior, Jakobi Meyers lateraled the ball to Mac Jones in a tied game with no time remaining, which was intercepted by Chandler Jones, who ran the ball into the end zone for a walk-off touchdown.
Yet, the Patriots remain alive in the playoff hunt at 7-8. In fact, they still control their own playoff destiny but they must beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and will likely need to beat the Buffalo Bills the week after.
Stevenson knows what's at stake and believes his teammates do, too.
“It's huge. It's huge for our whole team,” Stevenson said. “It's always better to play football when you're playing for something. So, us having that opportunity, I feel like we'll have to approach it that way.”
