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FOXBOROUGH – Rhamondre Stevenson had the best game of his NFL career in the New England Patriots' 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Stevenson rushed for a career-high 161 yards on 25 carries and added 14 receiving yards on a pair of receptions. What might have been most impressive about his performance is that he did it while having to carry all the running back duties as Damien Harris departed the game early due to a hamstring injury.
One of Stevenson's first carries of the day resulted in a big rush. The Patriots running back ran for a 49-yard gain on one of the first plays of the Patriots' second drive, breaking a few tackles to help get New England well into Detroit's territory.
While the play was one of the most impressive of his career, Stevenson has a regret about it.
“To be honest with you, I didn't get confidence from that play,” Stevenson said. “I feel like should've scored that ball. So, no confidence was gained from that run to be honest.”
Stevenson appeared to have clear daylight in front of him once he crossed midfield on that run. However, he was a bit off balance due to breaking tackles earlier in the carry.
While Stevenson was hard on himself, a lot of his Patriots teammates showed him a lot of appreciation following the game.
“That’s a pretty good day. Did a great job, a couple of big runs, a couple of hard big runs. Stumbling, breaking tackles,” Patriots center David Andrews said of Stevenson. “We can only block so many, so the running back has to make guys miss. He did a great job of that. He’s very versatile when he gets the ball in his hands. I’m proud of him. He’s a great running back and he makes us look a lot better than we are sometimes.”
The Patriots' offensive line had a strong day on Sunday. Not only did they give Stevenson the holes needed in order for him to have a career day, they didn't allow rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe to get sacked or pressured in his first career start.
Stevenson made sure to give credit to the players blocking in front of him, too.
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“I feel like those guys up front, they really led the way, for me and Bailey Zappe today,” Stevenson said. “Just because of how hard they were moving people, how hard they were working, things like that. So just those guys up front, I have all the respect for them. Much love.”
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While Stevenson showed “much love” to the Patriots' offensive line, Bill Belichick showed the running back love, too, especially considering that Harris left the game early.
“You have to give him a ton of credit,” Belichick said. “With Damien out, we only carried two backs for the game, and he put it all on his shoulders and finished with a couple of first downs there at the end of the game in the four-minute offense. Yeah, he is always good. He does a great job with the ball in his hands. He is a strong runner, but he can make people miss. He is a really good football player. Really a good football player. So glad we have him.
“Had a couple of blitz pickup plays right up the middle where he stepped up there. He is a good all-around back. Love him. Love him.”
Stevenson downplayed the effect of having to take on the extra burden, saying his “mindset really didn't change” once he learned Harris wouldn't be able to return.
“Just going in from Monday we knew we had to run the ball well and just be physical,” Stevenson said. “When Damien went down, I just told him I have his back. He kind of knew I did and things like that. So just putting it all together. Just playing a full four-quarter game. Just trying to be physical.”
There isn't any word if Harris will miss any extra time due to the injury, but the Patriots would surely like to have both of their strong running backs on the field when they face the Browns next week to try to get back to .500.
