Patriots RB's Fumbling Issues Continue in Prime Time

The issues of ball control that have plagued New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the first month of the 2025 regular season have trickled into month number two.

The Patriots running back has drawn criticism from all different angles for his frequent fumbles, four fumbles to be exact.

In the first three games of the season, Stevenson had fumbled the ball three times. In Week 4, he heard the noise from the haters and held on tightly throughout four quarters, and he would have nine touches for 38 yards.

In the first quarter of the Patriots' matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football, Josh Allen and the Bills had a mishap as it seems as if Allen did a quick handoff to Dawson Knox, the tight end would fumble and stunt a potential Buffalo surge in their first offensive position of the game.

A miscommunication leads to a turnover and the Patriots take over in Bills territory

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As a momentum shift came early for the Patriots, it quickly left. On the first play of the possession, Drake Maye handed off to Stevenson in a play that looked like a potential go-ahead first down.

Stevenson would fumble the ball for a fourth time this season.

Laser focus by Shaq Thompson to knock it out 🥊

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The moment made Pats fans hold their head in shame. Cameras cut to Stevenson on the bench, trying to get his bearings from the moment.

Stevenson's fumble was met with both Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth in the booth, who brought up his recent ball-carrying issues and even mentioned the problems from last season as well.

In Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stevenson had lost the ball twice in the 21-14 loss. When asked about the fumbles, Head Coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged the problems but knew the team needed him.

“We know what his capabilities are, and we’ve got to get him back. We need him. We absolutely need him,” Vrabel said. “You see what he was able to do for us last week, his ability to make some plays. We’ll just have to look at the technique, and we’ll have to look at the ball security, but we’re going to need him.”

When the Sunday Night Football broadcast returned, Mike Tirico mentioned that cameras caught Vrabel giving his running back a pep talk during the commercial break to keep his head in the game. Goes to show you the kind of coach Vrabel is for his players, even when they're under fire..

Stevenson returned to the game on the next series. How he will be used throughout the prime-time matchup is something we will have to wait and see unfold.

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