Coming into the 2025 season, Rhamondre Stevenson was starting to look underappreciated.
For the Patriots fan base that was so eager to put the lousy recent past behind them, TreVeyon Henderson was the shiny new running back. The speedy kid, who’d just won a college national championship at Ohio State, was their second-round pick and a symbol of going forward.
Stevenson, who had six fumbles and a down year production-wise in 2024, had become a face of the prior struggles. The shelf life of a No. 1 running back in the NFL is short. It was fair to wonder if he’d ever return to his 2022 form when he rushed for 1,000 yards.
But unlike many of his former Patriots teammates, who have either left or been demoted as the franchise tries to change direction, Stevenson still has a key role. And in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, he was an integral part of New England’s success.
He finished with 11 carries for 54 yards and caught five passes for 88 yards. He made a terrific fingertip catch late in the third quarter and then outran the Miami defense for a 55-yard reception. The play set up New England’s third touchdown.
“That’s a play, me, all the running backs and Drake and all the quarterbacks have been working on all offseason and just dialing that up,” Stevenson said. “So I was excited to be in the game when they called it and make a play.”
Drake Maye was afraid he’d put it too far over Stevenson’s head.
“We throw those kind of routes all the time in practice. We work on them. I’ve thrown them to him after practice, working on them, catching them over the shoulder,” he said. “I thought I overthrew it at first, and he made a great play.”
Vrabel was impressed.
“He’s athletic with the ball in his hands. He makes good catches. He drops, steps, and goes,” he said. “Excited for him. Just really excited that he could have a real impact on this football game for us throughout the entire day.”
After being part of back-to-back 4-13 teams, Stevenson was excited to get the win on Sunday. After the game, he thought about his father, who died in May.
“(Winning) feels great. It’s been tough. Been tough on me for the last couple of months, but just putting my best foot forward and just know what my Pops would want me to do,” Stevenson said. “He probably would have loved this game, so just remembering that and just remembering the things he would say and just keep going. Yeah, I think he’ll be proud of today.”
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