3 underrated Patriots who will decide playoff fate
By Jerry Trotta
1. Rhamondre Stevenson
You know Bill Belichick crushed a draft when the third-best player from the class is absolutely killing it and hardly gets any publicity.
If that hint didn’t give it away, we’re referring to Rhamondre Stevenson, who’s added another dimension to New England’s ferocious rushing attack. While Damien Harris continues to receive the bulk of the carries as the starter, Stevenson has quietly averaged more yards per attempt in each of the last four games.
We know Harris is a stud, but the Patriots have to keep riding their current running back by committee approach. We would personally be on board with Stevenson receiving more touches than Harris moving forward, but the third-year pro has a longer track record of success and has earned Belichick’s trust.
That said, surely Belichick is seeing what we’re seeing, no? Since Week 9, around the time Stevenson finally broke out of the doghouse, he’s tied with Nick Chubb for the second-most rushes of 10 yards or more (12), per PFF. Care to guess who’s first on that list? MVP dark horse Jonathan Taylor with 17.
With temperatures expected to plummet as we get into the thick of December and early January, the Patriots’ smash-mouth running game was built for playoff football.
Though Stevenson is only a rookie, he deserves to play a big role in that. The eye test never lies, and the Oklahoma product checks a new box seemingly every time he touches the ball.
