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FOXBOROUGH – Rhamondre Stevenson seems to be hitting a stride in his young NFL career, and the timing to continue to show off can't be much better than it is now.
The Patriots' second-year running back is coming off a career-best performance in which he rushed for 161 yards on 25 carries in a 29-0 win over the Lions. Not only did Stevenson make major contributions on the ground, he also added a pair of receptions and his coach Bill Belichick made a point to praise him on his pass-blocking skills from that game, noting that he picked up a few blitzes correctly.
Part of the reason why Stevenson was able to acclimate the number of yards he did in Week 5 was due to the fact that starting running back Damien Harris suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter that knocked him out of the game. It appears Stevenson will continue to get a chance to rush for a lot of yards too as Harris is reportedly expected to miss some game time due to the injury even though he's been limited in practice so far this week.
As Stevenson likely prepares to be New England's lead back against Cleveland on Sunday, he knows how vital it is for him to continue to run the ball well.
“Very important. Running the football is going to be very important from here on out,” Rhamondre Stevenson said. “Just as the season goes. Just hunting down and knowing our assignments and just running hard. Those big guys up front, they're working very hard. So, I'm confident in them right now.”
"He's a good football player… He's a good all-around back. I love him."
Bill Belichick on Rhamondre Stevenson pic.twitter.com/wW5C70dHg3
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 9, 2022
Coincidentally, one of Stevenson's other two NFL starts also came against the Browns. A year ago, he filled in well for an injured Harris, rushing for 100 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns.
Stevenson might see similar success against the Browns in his second start against them. Cleveland's rush DVOA is the worst in the league despite the fact that they've got two premier edge players in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.
Furthermore, the Patriots will be playing in Cleveland, which has a grass surface, Stevenson's favorite.
“My preference is grass, for sure,” Stevenson said. “I can't really tell you like why, but I just like playing on there.”
The Week 5 win against the Lions wasn't Stevenson's only good game this season. In fact, he's been productive in each game since a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Dolphins. He's rushed for 372 yards so far on 5.5 yards per carry and has added 13 receptions for 71 yards.
Rhamondre Stevenson played well a year ago as a rookie in New England's older offensive scheme, which featured a fullback and more outside inside action on carries. He's looked even better this season though in the Patriots' newer scheme, which is a streamlined offense that looks to make skill players make plays in the open field.
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“It’s what I’m used to. Honestly, last year was my first time even having a fullback in front of me,” Stevenson said. “I miss Jakob [Johnson], to say the least. But I like having more spread-out formations running the ball.”
As Stevenson continues life without a fullback and prepares to possibly play without his fellow top back, he had strong things to say about the rest of the Patriots' running back room. Fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong Jr. is already on the active roster while sixth-round rookie Kevin Harris was called up from the practice squad on Thursday. Third-year veteran J.J. Taylor's also an option for the Patriots on the practice squad, too.
A career-long for @dreeday32.
📺: #DETvsNE on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/TwNEglgSFP
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 9, 2022
“Just like everybody, they just want to learn,” Stevenson said of the rest of the group. “They just want to perfect their crafts. I feel like Kevin's doing that, J.J.'s doing that, as well as Pierre. Just proud of those guys, honestly. Just how focused they've been.”
But it's unlikely that either of those running backs will make a major impact on Sunday, leaving Stevenson to possibly shoulder all the burden again out of the backfield. Is Rhamondre Stevenson one of those backs that gets better with the extra wear and tear throughout the game?
“That's very safe to say,” Stevenson said. “I've been like that my whole life.”
