It's already Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season, and the New England Patriots are hoping to extend their win streak to 10 with a primetime win against the New York Giants on Monday night. It's going to be a tougher matchup than initially expected, after several injuries to starters last week, even though a few high performers are returning to the lineup.
One of those players is running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who missed three games due to a toe injury. That allowed rookie TreVeyon Henderson to take the reins of the backfield, and he kept the run game mostly afloat on his own.
However, Stevenson's return will certainly benefit the offense in more ways than just giving Drake Maye another weapon to work with, as the veteran provides more assurance ahead of the bye Week. Yet there might be an issue with his lingering injury, as Stevenson spoke about last week.
Rhamondre Stevenson's return to the Patriots' offense might not go as planned
While speaking to reporters upon his return to practice last week, Stevenson shared the difficulties he faced with his injured toe and how he's finally feeling better enough to get back to practice.
The problem, though, is that he didn't sound entirely confident about playing football again, speaking candidly about how painful the injury has been. His presence will be valuable, but not if he's not playing at his normal level.
“It’s very difficult. I think my pain tolerance is pretty high, but I couldn’t go the last three weeks. I’ve been feeling better. It seems like it’s not a big deal, but that toe, that will stop you.”
Given that it will be his first game back in a month, it's possible that Stevenson will still take a backseat to Henderson to ease him back into the starting lineup. There's no reason to risk further injury at this point in the season, especially with the bye week coming after the Giants' matchup.
It would be wiser to limit him in some capacity beyond not wanting to risk injury, too, since Henderson has been playing well in Stevenson's absence. It would be a questionable choice to slow that down, as he has proven he can be a solid weapon for a long time in New England.