Rhamondre Stevenson just gave the Patriots the lifeline they desperately needed

The New England Patriots offense finished the season as the second-best in football, behind only the L.A. Rams. Drake Maye has led the team into elite territory: the Seattle offense led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the likely OPOY, falls short of New England's effort. The same can be said for the offenses of Buffalo, Detroit, and Jacksonville, which have all been excellent.

Against the Dolphins, however, the story was not Maye's passing display. The sophomore was efficient, yes, missing just four passes and not turning the ball over, but the run game was the focus of the day.

Rookie TreVeyon Henderson finished the season with over 1,100 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him praised for his two-touchdown performance on Sunday.

Instead of Maye's passing or Henderson's rushing, however, it was Rhamondre Stevenson who made headlines. The ex-Oklahoma Sooner has 9 total touches for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, an absurd stat line.

Rhamondre Stevenson is heating up exactly when the Patriots need him most

The Patriots' final numbers in the running game look excellent. On the year, they were 6th in yards per game on the ground, but things weren't always so smooth. New England had just one 50-yard rusher in the first six games and didn't have a 100-yard rusher until Week 10.

The emergence of TreVeyon Henderson has been massive for New England's offense. He's among the most efficient runners in football, with his 5.1 YPC ranking 4th in the league among running backs (min. 100 attempts).

Henderson's breakout paired with Rhamondre Stevenson's early fumbling issues posed an issue for the former 4th-round pick, as it seemed he'd be cut out of the offense and limited to short-yardage carries.

Limited Stevenson was. In his 10 games before the bye, Stevenson averaged 10.1 carries a game and 3.2 yards per carry. In his four games after the bye, he didn't have a single game with 9+ carries, something that happened six times in his first ten games.

Not only did Stevenson's production improve in a lesser role after the bye, but it boomed. 22% of Stevenson's carries accounted for 46% of his rushing production and 57% of his rushing touchdowns, all while his yards per carry tripled.

He also added an extra catch per game (2.0 vs. 3.0) after the bye.

The Patriots have averaged 34.8 PPG since Stevenson's role change after the bye. They also average 32.4 PPG when he's averaged 4.0 YPC or more this season, compared to 25.3 PPG when he does not.

As the weather gets colder, running the ball is paramount: the last time an elite New England offense reached the playoffs, running the ball was a major reason for their success. En route to their Super Bowl LIII win, the Patriots averaged 30.3 PPG in the playoffs, with Sony Michel averaging 112 yards per game.

They scored nine rushing touchdowns, and running backs averaged 4.5 YPC during those three games.

Stevenson's performance against the Dolphins is indicative of what New England will be hoping to get out of him come the playoffs.

He's done an excellent job over the last few weeks to re-establish himself as a crucial member of a Super Bowl contender, and he'll need to continue this level of play in order for New England to still be playing this time next month.