It seems like the Patriots cannot build upon solid wins and instead revert to their problematic performances week after week, as witnessed against a very beatable Steelers team on Sunday. Despite an offense that looked like it had finally figured things out against the Dolphins last week, they were disjointed at best playing against a depleted Steelers' defense, which led to five total turnovers throughout the game.
The worst part of all was the four fumbles that allowed Pittsburgh to score more points, or, at the very least, run down the clock. The biggest culprit was running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who has had a career-long problem of committing turnovers, which consistently overshadows just how productive he can be for the Patriots.
That was the case again this past weekend, as two ill-timed fumbles in the red zone allowed the Steelers to score points and ultimately steal the win at Gillette Stadium.
It prompted many Patriots fans to demand he be benched, with some hoping he would be outright cut, but Mike Vrabel let it be known that wasn't happening. In fact, he emphasized just how important he is to their team, a sentiment echoed by Drake Maye.
Drake Maye isn't letting a bad game deter his support for Rhamondre Stevenson after the Patriots' Week 3 loss
Although fans won't love what the quarterback had to say, Maye showed his support for Stevenson after a rough outing and talked about how he plans to show his teammate support regardless of what happened on the field this week.
Drake Maye on Rhamondre Stevenson’s two fumbles:
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) September 21, 2025
“He’s one of our best players. There’s nothing he can do that will change my view of him as a player and a teammate … he’s had a great season and a great last week … He knows just as much anybody else, so just pump him up and be… pic.twitter.com/FMQ0eqx25S
One of the main things that Vrabel has hoped to accomplish with the Patriots this season is a brotherhood on and off the field. This is a clear example of just how close this team is, with Maye being a respectable leader in that regard.
He could have easily come out and placed the blame on several of his teammates, even if he did fumble and throw an interception as well. But considering the fumbles by Stevenson were much more brutal, the quarterback could have thrown him under the bus to distract from his own mistakes.
Instead, he chose to praise Stevenson and commit to helping him move forward. We know that he is a good player out of the backfield and in the passing game, but these costly mistakes continue to pile up and he has now fumbled 16 times in his career, nearly half of those were recovered by the defense, too.
That's not something that can keep happening on a weekly basis, or there might be a tough conversation to be had about keeping him on the sideline more. It's not a great plan, since they don't appear to be all that confident in the rest of the running back room. But Stevenson's fumbling will only become a bigger problem against tougher opponents if it continues.