Despite their five turnovers, which should have been the reason they lost, their defense was able to keep the game within reach until the final minutes of the game, proving that their inability to secure the football is the reason they walk away with another home loss. And the biggest contributor to those turnovers continues to be Rhamondre Stevenson, who many Patriots fans have already declared to want cut from the roster as soon as possible.
Considering how well he played against the Dolphins last week, seeing the running back revert to his rookie ways was not entirely surprising, but certainly not expected, and the Patriots' offense struggled because of it.
It puts Mike Vrabel in a difficult position to decide what's best to do with Stevenson moving forward, and it appears that although he's not exactly clear on what that might be just yet, he's not considering cutting him after another rough game.
Rhamondre Stevenson is not going anywhere despite calls from Patriots fans for him to be cut
In the immediate aftermath of another brutal loss, Vrabel was asked about Stevenson's performance, which included two costly fumbles, one of which led to a Steelers touchdown.
The head coach made it clear that they value what Stevenson brings to the roster and that he'll have to look at the tape to see what happened and address the situation further after that.
#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on Rhamondre Stevenson who fumbled twice:
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 21, 2025
“We absolutely need him… We need his ability, but we also need to take care of the football… I’m not really sure what we’re gonna do… He helped us win a game last week and it was different story today.” pic.twitter.com/C3YjOL2OFf
Given the harsh reaction from Patriots fans, they definitely will not like that Vrabel was quick to defend Stevenson rather than "make a statement" by declaring he was in the hot seat, if not worse.
Obviously, something needs to happen or, at the very least, change in the upcoming week because costly turnovers are only going to set the offense further back. It has been the reason for their two losses this season, and when they have a turnover free game, like they did against the Dolphins, they can get the win.
It's difficult to say if whatever issue is leading to Stevenson fumbling can or will be fixed, but it cannot continue. That's definitive, and if that ultimately leads to him being benched, much like Bill Belichick did during his rookie year, then so be it, even if it is temporary.