Injured Patriots starter forces offense to change plans early vs. Bucs

"Over the past two weeks, the New England Patriots' offense has had to deal with the absence of starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who finally began to put a solid season together after a rough patch dominated by fumbles to start the year. Because he's great out of the backfield and in the passing game, it's a significant loss, but it seemed like they had the right guy in place to make up the void."

"That, of course, was rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. But the Patriots have been reluctant to use him as much as most believed they would, given that he was a second-round draft pick earlier this year. Questions began to arise about the reasoning behind keeping him uninvolved in the game plan as much as they had been, but the coaching staff had clarified nothing."

Rhamondre Stevenson missed two weeks, removing a key backfield and passing-game weapon and creating a significant offensive void. TreVeyon Henderson, a second-round rookie, was expected to assume a larger role but remained underused early on. Terrell Jennings began the most snaps but suffered a knee injury in the second quarter, elevating Henderson's opportunity. Henderson's first carry converted a 16-yard first down and his prior week featured 14 carries for 55 yards, suggesting he can produce if given increased workload for the remainder of the season.

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