The New England Patriots walloped the Carolina Panthers, 41-14, in Week 4. Two running backs who fumbled against Pittsburgh, Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, received about the same number of snaps as against Pittsburgh. The question is, should they have?
Fortunately, there were no fumbles or turnovers of any kind against Carolina. But did the coach set a troubling precedent?
When you play a clean game with no turnovers, you can expect better results, and the big win bears out that supposition. Moving forward is the central question for Mike Vrabel and his offensive coaching staff. Vrabel decided to take no action on snap counts for the fumbling running backs as a result of the fumbles against Carolina, and it worked. Don't expect any changes against the Bills.
Whether Vrabel was right or wrong on that call is debatable. It worked against Carolina, but that was Carolina. Against the Bills, however, mistakes like fumbles will cost you the game. It will be interesting to see if a running back does fumble against the AFC East-leading Bills and if the same response will be forthcoming.
Mike Vrabel let Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson off too easy for early season mistakes
Patriots RB snap tracker (unofficial/not including kneeldowns):
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 28, 2025
🏈Rhamondre Stevenson: 23
🏈TreVeyon Henderson: 17
🏈Antonio Gibson: 9
No turnovers and a more even distribution.
Could be the formula moving forward.
The response by Vrabel to the debilitating fumbles that cost the Patriots the game against Pittsburgh was tepid at best. Vrabel chose to punt and not take any action resulting from those game-losing gaffes. It may seem like a sound decision, but in retrospect, it could prove costly later on.
Carolina is a good remedy for mistakes. They're not a good team, and any team of any caliber is likely to beat them. Regardless, Vrabel's decision not to do anything about mistakes that cost the Pittsburgh game should be evaluated.
The wrong signal was sent to the Patriots' running backs and the entire team
Leniency can be an effective tool in sports to nurture players who make mistakes. Yet, to do so in light of fumbling or other mistakes like false starts is risky. It sends a message that if you're a veteran or maybe have played well in the past, it's OK to mess up.
Stevenson fumbled seven times last season, equaling and in some respects negating the seven 2024 touchdowns he produced. He now has two this season. His fumbling has become chronic, and the two against Pittsburgh were devastating to the team. They required a reaction from Vrabel other than: it's OK, we need you, and try to clean it up in the future.
Fumbles and penalties have dogged the 2025 Patriots' season from the outset. Allowing them to go unanswered was a mistake, no matter what happened against Carolina. In so doing, Vrabel set a poor precedent by acquiescing to mistakes that are game-changing at best and game-losers at worst.
Talking about punishment or penalizing the player was off-kilter. That's not the point at all. When a player's mistakes are costly and may cost the team games, it's the coach's responsibility to set an example and react. Rather than punishment, it's a move to safeguard the team and enhance its chances of winning.
If a player fumbles twice in a game, he shouldn't get too many snaps right away to do so again. It's a lesson for the rest of the team that mistakes are unacceptable and there will be consequences. There were no consequences for the fumbling against Pittsburgh. Vrabel sent an absolutely wrong signal.