Is Rhamondre Stevenson able to recover against the run defense of the Cowboys?

Andrew Callahan, Michael Holley, and Mike Felger discuss why Rhamondre Stevenson has been so ‘off’ this season and whether he is recovering from overwork last year or just needs time to get back to 2022.

[{"selector":"#anim-8a7ebc61-8963-4e8c-884f-09dd6f34c827","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-46df81bc-dbac-42b5-ae7c-aaccb44b10d2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 153.48152%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Rhamondre Stevenson was the Patriots' greatest offensive player in 2022. A team-high 69 receptions, 421 receiving yards, and one score were added to his 1,040 yards (5.0 per carry) and five touchdowns.

[{"selector":"#anim-0ab7bdc0-5462-4cc6-b0e3-c24a80ad6d1a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0896c07a-2ddd-43fa-aef9-702c575d798e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 153.48152%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Stevenson was expected to progress in 2023, but he has disappointed. The third-year rushing back has 139 yards (2.9 per attempt) and one touchdown in three games.

[{"selector":"#anim-2dab4109-b0f1-4ae4-b489-bf9d77794cfc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0e44d38c-5b7b-4487-b77f-ff2f64927aa7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 175.74218%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

He has caught 10 passes, putting him on track to catch less than previous season.Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reviewed Friday's Boston Sports Tonight on NBC Sports Boston.

[{"selector":"#anim-c3f7d086-794c-45bc-bb57-3f18424a62e9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-942dccb0-dbc3-4bf8-8bcf-775adf987b42","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 175.74218%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

"He got over two yards after contact last year," Callahan said. "He falls forward when touched. This year, 0.2 yards after collision.

[{"selector":"#anim-ba7aa274-7ca5-4533-8726-ed03e31dbca9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a4038af4-b4f1-4ddb-820d-6be417b03c2c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 208.84112%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

I think the first two weeks are fine—they're not blocking anyone. Zeke failed and stumbled. You go to your genuine guy, who's idle. He's not taking advantage of opportunities to gain yards. You got more chances in Week 3. When the Patriots ran-blocked, who looked better? Zeke Elliott.

[{"selector":"#anim-eadc91c8-0082-4e41-a690-7dd9148f7868","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b8fecc70-5540-4652-bbc5-e6390e6b028b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 137.55199%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

"I doubt that will last the season. Note that the Patriots did something odd with Stevenson this summer. They excluded him from four practices.

[{"selector":"#anim-4dfb3999-bab1-4f9f-bda7-2118f19c4e34","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-899761b6-598f-40e3-9399-6dcf9d298505","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 178.07276%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

'Go over there and run on the field.' I asked him at the start, middle, and end of camp, 'Hey, have they told you why you just get to hang around at Camp Foxboro?' 'No, you'd have to ask Bill (Belichick)' He was real. I don't know if he's playing catch up, but he's not breaking yards after contact like last year."

[{"selector":"#anim-0d0ba8d6-27dd-4199-88f5-fc3dbe336567","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ddda2870-c21c-4354-a1a8-555b582cc472","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 135.37303%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]