There are a lot of areas the Patriots need to improve upon, and most of them have been made abundantly clear through three games already. After their Week 2 win over the Dolphins, it appeared as though many of those issues were behind them, only for them all to be back in full force against a very beatable Steelers team.
Despite dominating for two quarters on both sides of the football, like the defense allowed just one yard gained to the Steelers offense in the third quarter, the Patriots couldn't overcome their self-inflicted wounds, with the worst being their constant turnovers.
By the end of the game, they recorded five turnovers, three of which were fumbles by running backs, with Rhamondre Stevenson losing two. It has been an issue throughout his career, as he has now recorded 16 fumbles over the last five seasons, which is the most among all active running backs, and this is now something their opponents are taking notice of.
Mike Tomlin said as much when speaking to reporters after their win at Gillette Stadium, further proving the Patriots need to make some big changes fast before their season becomes a complete failure.
The Steelers went into their matchup with the Patriots ready to take advantage of Rhamondre Stevenson's fumbles
With the rise of Stevenson's fumbling issue becoming more well-known, Tomlin revealed that he coached the Steelers to prepare for his struggles continuing this week, claiming they emphasized it during practice while preparing for this week's matchup.
Mike Tomlin said Rhamondre Stevenson’s ball security was a point of emphasis for the Steelers this week. pic.twitter.com/3hAxU9IJvr
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) September 21, 2025
It's never a good sign that one of your players' biggest flaws is becoming a focus of opponents' practices, so hearing the Steelers admit that about Stevenson certainly means big changes need to come for the Patriots' offense moving forward.
We know that the running back can be a pillar of their offensive effort, as we saw against the Dolphins last week. However, turnovers have been a consistent issue throughout his career and appear to have only intensified after the 2024 season, when he lost seven fumbles.
He recorded two more this week, both of which were in the red zone, and took points away from the Patriots in what could have been a blowout home win.
While he's not the sole reason for the team's loss, he was a significant factor, given the timing and location of the fumbles, which were further exacerbated by two more fumbles from Antonio Gibson and Drake Maye, plus an interception by the quarterback.
As the season continues, it will be interesting to see what happens if turnovers continue, especially with a repeat offender like Stevenson. Mike Vrabel made his stance clear with some of the underperformers in Sunday's contest by benching them to start the second half, so that might be inevitable for some others if they continue to be a liability when on the field.