Since the Week 14 bye week, running back Lamond Stevenson has quietly become one of the Patriots’ best players.
Quietly no more.
In New England’s regular-season finale, Stevenson made a mad dash out of the gate. The back had his second rush of the game 56 yards down the right sideline, finishing the day with 131 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, and also caught two passes for 22 yards and another touchdown to complete his hat trick.
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“I believe it was a good performance,” said Stevenson, who was named matchday captain before the game. “Run the ball very efficiently, got downhill, scored a couple touchdowns. My mom was in the stands, so I’m proud of that.”
Stevenson rushed for 56 yards all day and was unable to compete with the Dolphins defense. He was recorded breaking three interceptions and gaining 104 yards after contact, while his dual action as a pass catcher led to a 15-yard touchdown reception.
His third and final touchdown of the day came from 35 yards out when he broke through midfield, and Stevenson is now averaging nearly 10 yards per carry over the last month.
“I’m trying to stay at a pretty level, no matter what happens, how good it gets, how bad it might get, I’m going to try to stay at a pretty level,” Stevenson said. Advertisement
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After missing three games with a toe injury earlier in the season, Stevenson returned for two games before the bye week, but was different than usual as he averaged more than 2.0 yards per carry.
After the bye week, the flip changed again, with a powerful one-two punch with rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
“We felt like we got into a flow with him, Trevyan and Lamond and kind of figured out where the balance was, and I thought they did a good job. We needed both of them,” Vrabel said.
Sunday’s performance, in which the team rushed for 243 yards (7.1 average), was the latest example of the running game’s upward trend in recent weeks. Despite having a top MVP candidate at center in Drake Maye, the Patriots will need those two as the playoff calendar approaches.
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“You better be able to do it in the championship,” Mike Vrabel said. “And you’d better be able to take care of the football. You’d better be able to create some turnovers, and you’ve got to have efficient quarterback play. It’s no secret.”
