New England Patriots
“No matter what’s going on, how good it could get, how bad it could get, I try to stay pretty level.”
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots’ 2025 season has seen Mike Vrabel’s team fixed on an upward trajectory for most of the year.
After stumbling out to a 1-2 record in the fall, a revitalized Patriots roster won 13 out of its final 14 games this year — securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a home playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season.
That same linear path hasn’t exactly presented itself to veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Entering his fifth NFL campaign with the expected role as New England’s lead back, Stevenson’s plans to leave a lackluster 2024 showing in the rearview mirror was shattered when his father, Robert, passed away at 54 years old in March.
Stevenson spent some time away from the Patriots during OTAs in order to grieve with his family, with the trials and tribulations continuing to mount once the regular season commenced in September.
Ball-security concerns have long been an issue for Stevenson — compounding with a poor stretch to open 2025 where he coughed up the ball three times in New England’s first five games.
It looked as though Stevenson had reached an inflection point with the only NFL club he’d play for, especially with rookie back TreVeyon Henderson starting to find his footing.
By the time Stevenson finally returned from a toe injury that sidelined him for several weeks, it looked as though his spot atop the running-back depth chart was coming to a close.
At least, that appeared to be the trend entering the final weeks of the regular season.
But, amid a season with plenty of setbacks, Steveson is starting to hit his stride at the ideal time for New England — giving an already explosive offense another trusted option in the trenches.
“To be honest with you, I try to stay pretty level,” Stevenson said Sunday. “No matter what’s going on, how good it could get, how bad it could get, I try to stay pretty level. So really, I was just day-by-day back then, when it wasn’t really going my way, just day-by-day, just putting my best foot forward, not really trying to get discouraged.
“And my teammates and coaches made a little easier on me. They had my back and things like that. So I’ll say, I just try to stay relentless, try to keep the same headspace no matter what’s going good or going bad.”
Stevenson saved his best performance of the 2025 campaign for New England’s regular-season finale, gaining 153 total yards — including 131 rushing yards off of just seven carries — to go along with three touchdowns in the 38-10 victory.
Stevenson’s resurgence has been a trend over the last month of the regular season. Now finally healthy after those mid-season injury woes, Stevenson has totaled 29 carries for 279 yards and five touchdowns — while also adding 12 receptions for 131 yards and another two touchdowns — over his last four games.
“He’s a tough back. He can move. He’s agile. He’s got a little two-foot jump cut that I just love watching on film. He just makes people miss like that. He’s got great hands. He’s smart,” Drake Maye said following the win. “His blocks in protection unbelievable this year. He always tells me I owe him something. I really do; I do owe him something. He’s done a great job.”
Despite averaging a whopping 18.7 yards per rush on Sunday against Miami, Stevenson serves as more of a fitting complement to Henderson’s 0-to-60 speed and profile as an explosive, home-run hitter on New England’s offense (four rushing scores of 50+ yards).
Steveson’s value is maximized on New England when it comes to punching through the line of scrimmage in red-zone and fourth-down situations, while his blitz pickups will also be counted on to keep Maye off the gridiron come the postseason.
As dominant as Maye has been this season, New England must also balance his offensive output with a steady dose of reps on the ground for both Stevenson and Henderson come the postseason.
New England’s opponent in the Wild Card round, the Chargers, are one of the best in the league at frustrating opposing QBs this season — with signal callers sporting a league-worst 75.0 passer rating in matchups against Los Angeles this season.
Of course, Maye could be the great equalizer given his track record of torching defenses and minimizing mistakes this season. Still, the Patriots could ease some of the burden off Maye by relying on their running backs — especially against a Chargers defense that ranks 18th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.4).
“We felt like we got into a little flow with TreVeyon and Rhamondre, and kind of figured out where that balance was,” Vrabel said Sunday. “And I think that they did a great job. We need them both.”
The 2025 season has presented its fair share of peaks and valleys for Stevenson.
But Sunday offered up hope that the best has yet to come for the running back, who gifted one of his touchdown ball to his mother, Juran, who was in the Gillette Stadium stands on Sunday evening.
“Just having my mom in the stands means a lot,” Stevenson said. “I wish my dad was up there, too, with her still, but just to have her up there means a lot to me. It makes me want to play hard just knowing she’s out there watching me.”
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