Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson has eclipsed comparisons to James White
If the Patriots are to emerge into anything of note, it clearly starts with Stevenson and the dominating presence he has become.
All due respect to James White, but there are probably more accurate comps for Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Marshawn Lynch is a good one. Pre-draft analysis in 2021 compared the Oklahoma prospect to Baltimore back Gus Edwards, which is fine. His rookie stats with New England last year favored similarly to guys like Arian Foster and David Montgomery, a pair of guys who were very good backs, albeit for a very brief time.
But the Patriots’ second-year back is already carving out his own niche, shedding middling comparisons to guys like Zack Moss and Carlos Hyde and creating his own. Stevenson already has twice as many receptions as he did all of last season, and his ability to play the role of receiving running back has made him a valuable third-down commodity.
Which is why teammate Kendrick Bourne compared him to White, the former Super Bowl hero who performed that role so crisply over the course of his career. “He’s just all around a great player,” Bourne said Sunday afternoon after watching Stevenson rush for 71 yards and catch another 72 to fuel the majority of the offense for the Patriots during an ugly 22-17 win over the New York Jets. “He can catch really well. I tell him all the time, you’ve got some really good mittens, man. That’s what we need. To be able to be versatile, having a pass catcher out of the backfield is so big. He’s reminding me of James White. So, just to keep that kind of third-down threat with all our other wideouts and threats, it kind of makes it hard to stop us in a sense. Proud of that dude.”
It’s frightening to think of where the Patriots might be without Stevenson, who was only thrust into a more frequent role with the team after fellow running back Damien Harris suffered a hamstring injury earlier this month. Despite the win Sunday, the 4-4 Patriots remain mired in last place in the AFC East, plagued by questionable offensive play-calling, a defense that breaks more than it bends, and a quarterback that has regressed following his own injury.
Stevenson amassed 143 of New England’s 288 yards against the Jets, many of them on bruising runs that each had the chance of revival with every shoulder Stevenson laid into Jets defensive players. Perhaps no run was more impressive than Stevenson’s 35-yard gallop in the initial seconds of the second half, when it appeared he had been stopped at the line of scrimmage, only to turn the play into his biggest burst of the day. The run also helped his team score its only touchdown of the day.
This was the fifth-straight game during which Stevenson led the Patriots in yards from scrimmage. Stat-wise, he’s been just as good a rusher this season as Minnesota superstar Dalvin Cook. He has as many catches (32) as Deebo Samuel and Dallas Goedert, only three fewer than teammate Jakobi Meyers, the other half of the two-headed monster that is currently keeping the Patriots’ offense afloat.
Heck, his performance against the Detroit Lions three weeks ago, when he rushed for a career-high 161 yards, prompted Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to proclaim his love for the player.
“He’s a good all-around back,” Belichick said. “Love him. Love him.”
Love him. When have you ever heard Belichick profess that kind of love for someone who wasn’t a defensive standout for the New York Giants in the 80s?
Stevenson’s talent allows the Patriots to feature him more than they ever did White beyond third-down situations. There’s some credence to the LeGarrette Blount comparison with his ability to pound his six-foot, 229-pound frame through the line of scrimmage, but Blount never caught more than 15 passes during any season over the course of his career. Indeed, the Patriots’ duel running attack has been slanted in Stevenson’s favor.
Harris was fine on Sunday, running for 37 yards on 11 carries, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand which player is the more dangerous and valuable weapon. Stevenson’s pass-catching ability was an offseason focus for the Patriots, an addition to his game that has made him one of the more effective backfield tools in the NFL.
“I love both of those guys,” said quarterback Mac Jones, who had a so-so day in his return to action (24-for-35, 194 yards, one touchdown, one interception). “They’re like my brother, so we just want to continue to grow together, and they’ve done a great job.”
So great that the Patriots have to depend on the two of them for any semblance of success. Jones still looks lost on the field, uncomfortable in the pocket, and it seems like he’s having a difficult time reading his receivers. He still ran the ball seven times on Sunday, matching a career-high he set in Pittsburgh during a Week 2 win. Losing DeVante Parker in the first quarter to an injured knee didn’t help, but we’ve seen enough of Jones to understand the current limitations on the quarterback.
We’ve also seen enough of Stevenson to wonder why he wasn’t getting an increased workload in the first place.
It was the 13th-straight win for New England over the Jets, a stretch of dominance that many predicted was scheduled to come to a halt over the weekend. Yet despite flashes of promise this season, they are still, comfortably, the same old Jets.
We still have little idea who these .500 Patriots are going to become. But if they are to emerge into anything of note, it clearly starts with Stevenson and the dominating presence he has become.
We all love James White, but please.
Stevenson seems ready to become something much bigger.
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