The New England Patriots have had great depth at running back this season, and they will need to lean on it again in Week 15 in Indy.
The Patriots look to run their win streak to eight games on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, but they must do it without starting running back Damien Harris.
The third-year back has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson will start in his place.
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Saturday’s game against the Colts will be the second one Harris has missed this season. He has 754 rushing yards for 9 touchdowns. Stevenson, who was once buried on the inactives list after a disastrous debut that saw him fumble and miss a blocking assignment, has rushed for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns in nine games.
Physically, Stevenson may be the team’s most talented back. He seems to be making the proper adjustments to increase consistency.
Stevenson Has Earned the Trust of Patriots Coaches
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke about Stevenson’s improvement leading up to the game.
“I’ve been impressed by Rhamondre’s growth,” Belichick said during his December 16 video conference. “He’s very coachable. When you ask him to do something, he really tries hard to do it the way that you want him to do it, and he’s improved greatly in every area of the game.”
That’s a great compliment from the legendary coach. Belichick has routinely been slow to play rookie running backs. A combination of Stevenson’s talent and injury situations have the Oklahoma alum getting more snaps than usual.
“He’s a player that’s gained a lot of trust and confidence from his teammates, certainly from the coaching staff, really in every area,” said Belichick. “The running game, the passing game, ball security, blitz pickup, run reads, run technique, so forth, using the blockers and understanding the blocking schemes. He just gets better every day he goes out on the field.”
This is the product of Stevenson’s hard work. That’s the only way he can ascend to a level where he has garnered this sort of praise from Belichick, along with being handed this opportunity with a veteran like Brandon Bolden healthy.
“(Stevenson) has been great to work with and has really shown a lot of improvement, consistency in his daily routine and being out on the field,” Belichick said. “He just continues to get better because he’s out there practicing every day and trying to take the instruction and coaching that Ivan (Fears) and Vinnie (Sunseri) and Josh (McDaniels) are giving him.”
Patriots RB Situation Will Be Interesting in Week 15
Bolden is expected to get his opportunities to contribute against the Colts. While Stevenson has proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield with 12 receptions for 117 yards, Bolden has had some serious success as the third-down back.
He had 6 receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown in the Week 7 blowout win over the New York Jets. The Patriots would love to see Bolden deliver another one of those performances.
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Patriots Injury Forces Change to Starting Lineup vs. Colts