The New England Patriots upped their winning streak to four games by beating the Tennessee Titans, 31-13, on Sunday, continuing their road-warrior mentality to start the 2025 season.
For the first time in a while, the Patriots displayed an effective running game, and Rhamondre Stevenson was at the forefront.
Stevenson logged 49 snaps to only nine for rookie TreVeyon Henderson against the Titans, and he rushed for 88 of the team's season-high 175 yards. It was quite a renaissance for Stevenson, who's talent is unquestionable but whose fumbling had threatened to have him benched, or worse — sent packing.
Now, it seems that Stevenson has regained the lead-back role, especially with Antonio Gibson on the shelf for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. With the Patriots on a roll and avoiding turnovers, things are looking bright in Foxboro.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson added a new dimension to Patriots' surging offense
In a another game dominated by the brilliant play of quarterback Drake Maye, Stevenson's running was a nice complement to a Patriots offense that had been trending toward the one-dimensional. Stevenson gained his 88 yards on 18 attempts with a healthy 4.9 per-carry average and a touchdown.
That was a far cry from his dismal 18 yards on 13 carries against New Orleans. On Sunday against the Titans, Stevenson gained 44 yards on five attempts on the Patriots' opening drive alone.
Stevenson still has only 245 yards for the season through seven games, and thoughts of another 1,000-yard season are a fantasy; yet, any semblance of a respectable running game has to be helpful to the irrepressible Maye.
Should the Patriots be able to finally display an NFL-worthy running game, the sky could be the limit for this offense. The team has only its own self-destructive tendencies against Las Vegas and Pittsburgh keeping it from a perfect 7-0 record and sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
The Patriots should still be aggressive at the RB position at the NFL trade deadline
If one thing's a given about the Patriots' offense, it's the consistency and increasingly accurate arm of Maye. Even with only decent cadre of receivers, Maye is throwing the ball at an amazing clip; his completion percentage after seven games is a stratospheric 75.2 percent.
Students of NFL history will recognize that if this level of accuracy continues, Maye will be flirting with setting a new single-season high NFL completion percentage rate. The current best is 74.4 percent by Drew Brees in 2018. There's a lot of football to be played before that happens, though.
Mike Vrabel should add another running back to his stable before the trade deadline after Week 9. Stevenson is on an upward trend at the moment, but another key fumble could send him back to the doghouse in a hurry.
Having balance on offense is a must, and making a trade to improve the backfield is one that Vrabel should make.