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New England Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson received a major boost ahead of Week 4’s game vs. the Carolina Panthers.
He’s under pressure to bounce back from a disasterclass against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but New England Patriots’ starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson has already received a major boost ahead of Week 4’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers, thanks to one statistic.
It’s a number favorable to Stevenson taking over the game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, September 28, provided he can look after the football. Stevenson lost a pair of fumbles against the Steelers last week, but while his status appeared in jeopardy, head coach Mike Vrabel has been content to stick with the fifth-year pro as a member of the starting lineup.
Vrabel’s backing means Stevenson will get the chance to work over a Carolina defense “leaning heavily on light boxes. The Panthers have kept fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage on 60% of snaps — the fourth-highest rate in the NFL,” according to Andrew Shaver and Maurice Smith of Pro Football Focus.
That tendency should favor Stevenson against the Panthers, but “even with that numbers disadvantage, they’ve held opponents to just 4.4 yards per carry and 2.4 yards after contact, both seventh-best marks league-wide.”
Those are respectable stats against the run, but Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can still help Stevenson dominate with a strategy he’s used effectively in the past.
Josh McDaniels, Patriots Can Exploit Panthers’ Defense
Stevenson has an unhappy habit for putting the ball on the ground, but he still retains value because he’s a battering ram who can punish defenses between the tackles. He suits McDaniels’ long-held preference for power-based rushing concepts.
Although the play-caller has shown a willingness to change for dual-threat quarterback Drake Maye recently, McDaniels has often defaulted to the power game in crunch moments. It’s usually meant the Patriots putting six offensive linemen and a fullback onto the field.
A great example occurred against AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills in 2021. When McDaniels used then second-year pro Mike Onwenu “as eligible 31 times,” per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, during a 14-10 win on the road, powered by Stevenson and Damien Harris amassing 189 yards on 34 carries.
Patriots offensive snaps vs. Bills:
🏈 RBs: Rhamondre Stevenson (32), Damien Harris (13), Brandon Bolden (6), with Harris’ hamstring injury affecting split
🏈 OL Mike Onwenu reports as eligible 31 times; season-low for TE Hunter Henry (15) as a result
🏈 51 total: Season low pic.twitter.com/HvLjHt4qST
https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1468164706573684739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1468164706573684739%7Ctwgr%5E062dae6749a8e5de736ebe9ae4d2860b4e378c6c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fnew-england-patriots%2Frhamondre-stevenson-josh-mcdaniels-panthers%2F
McDaniels has also been overloading the line of scrimmage at times this season, albeit in more creative ways. One of the most unconventional personnel groupings was seen against the Steelers.
It involved an unbalanced line with rookie left tackle Will Campbell (66) kicked over to the right side, next to tight end Hunter Henry. As NESN’s Keagan Stiefel put it, “the Patriots are going to use this formation again later this season.”
The Patriots are going to use this formation again later this season, and I’ll bet it involves a wrinkle.
LT: Austin HooperTE: Will Campbell pic.twitter.com/swGj5lOqtF
https://twitter.com/KeaganStiefel/status/1970121396614205663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1970121396614205663%7Ctwgr%5E062dae6749a8e5de736ebe9ae4d2860b4e378c6c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fnew-england-patriots%2Frhamondre-stevenson-josh-mcdaniels-panthers%2F
Designs like this one are good news for Stevenson, and not just because of this week’s opponent.
History Is on Rhamondre Stevenson’s Side
The Panthers rushing record isn’t the only thing favoring Stevenson. Nor is the way McDaniels schemes ways to create running lanes.
Stevenson has traditionally done his best work rushing behind overloaded, heavy fronts. Just like he did against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of last season.
The Pats and McDaniels’ predecessor Alex Van Pelt helped to spring Stevenson for 120 yards on the ground. Many of them were gained behind six-man lines, like on this play highlighted by Brian Hines of SB Nation’s Pats Pulpit.
Rhamondre Stevenson forced 10 missed tackles while 118 of his 120 rushing yards came after contact on Sunday, via PFF.
Both rank first among any RB to play in Week 1. pic.twitter.com/Reu4tZehRq
https://twitter.com/iambrianhines/status/1833157149687492648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1833157149687492648%7Ctwgr%5E062dae6749a8e5de736ebe9ae4d2860b4e378c6c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fnew-england-patriots%2Frhamondre-stevenson-josh-mcdaniels-panthers%2F
A knack for absorbing contact and breaking tackles, the way Stevenson did in Cincinnati, is part of what’s led to his issues with ball security. It’s a problem the Patriots have been working hard to fix this week, positioning Stevenson to make amends against the Panthers.
For all of his issues, he remains the only natural workhorse in a running back room also featuring the big-play potential of rookie TreVeyon Henderson, as well as the multi-faceted skill-set of veteran Antonio Gibson.
Turning Stevenson loose in Week 4 is a matchup advantage the Patriots can’t ignore, especially when Maye is also battling to limit his own turnover problem.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
