Patriots HC Reveals Reason for RB Resurgence

To paraphrase legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has seen his share of “fire and rain” through seven games of the 2025 NFL season.

From his individual struggles with ball security, to an overall slow start for the Patriots running game, the veteran rusher has been the subject of much discussion over the past two months — some of which became unpleasant, at times.

Despite his trials and tribulations, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel valued Stevenson’s promise over his problems. As such, the Oklahoma product remained in the lineup and retained his starting role.

As Patriots players continue to bask in the glow of their 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville this weekend — thus extending their four-game winning streak — Stevenson is truly relishing his praise for gaining 88 yards on 18 carries with one rushing touchdown. His performance not only validates his standing among New England’s top offensive weapons, it rewards the faith shown to him by his head coach.

“There will be a time where they’re calling for my job, and they’re calling for everybody’s job. That’s just how this business works,” Vrabel shared via The Greg Hill Show on WEEI. “And I didn’t want to jerk the wheel [on Stevenson,] but also, there was a lot of conversations about what our ball carriers and our receivers and everybody that has the football, how they have to take care of it, or that we have to make some other decisions.”

Though Stevenson may lead the team in both rushing yards [288] and rushing touchdowns [three,] the most recognizable stats on his 2025 resume result from fumbles. After fumbling twice in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers — including one inexcusable mistake along the goal line — several Patriots pundits were calling for the Pats starter to be benched in favor of electrifying rookie TreVeyon Henderson. The calls once again began to surface when Stevenson fumbled while attempting to secure a crucial first down against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

Still, Vrabel remained steadfast in his support for his talented, yet presently troubled running back. Not only did Stevenson rebound to score two touchdowns in that very same game against the Bills, he turned in his best performance of the season to date against the Titans.