"Mike Vrabel aced many of the most challenging decisions in his first season as Patriots coach, perhaps none more than with running back Rhamondre Stevenson. The reward is that the Patriots now have one of the NFL's hottest players entering Sunday's wild-card round playoff game against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers (8 p.m. ET, NBC). Stevenson enters the postseason having scored six touchdowns in the past three weeks, which ties for the NFL high over that span with Ravens running back Derrick Henry and Bengals running back Chase Brown."
"Considering he had just three touchdowns through the first 15 weeks of the season, which also matched his total of lost fumbles, it's been a dramatic turnaround. One that rewarded Vrabel's faith and long-range vision. Vrabel's decision came when the Patriots, and Stevenson, were at their lowest football point. The team had dropped to 1-2 with a home loss to the Steelers Sept., and Stevenson was dropping the football, losing two critical fumbles to continue an alarming trend as his five lost fumbles (eight total fumbles) since the start of the 2024 season were easily an NFL high."
Mike Vrabel made a pivotal decision to keep running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the lineup despite early-season fumbles. Stevenson scored six touchdowns in the past three weeks, tying for the NFL high in that span, after having just three touchdowns through the first 15 weeks. Stevenson had accumulated five lost fumbles (eight total fumbles) since the start of the 2024 season, an NFL high. Vrabel doubled down rather than demote him and called for his skillset. On the next game's first play Stevenson ran a critical 1-yard carry holding the ball with two hands. Stevenson has lost only one fumble since Week 3 and is entering the postseason with strong momentum.
Read at ESPN.com
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