Jerod Mayo was rewarded with a Gatorade shower after winning his first game as head coach, but he recognizes it’s because of the players they got the win.
Rhamondre Stevenson played a major role in the New England Patriots' surprising 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Stevenson, who went into Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season without much fanfare despite his talent and career production, absolutely dominated the Bengals' front seven.
He ran for 120 yards on 25 carries (4.8 per attempt) and scored the team's only touchdown -- a four-yard run to begin the second quarter.
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The most impressive aspect of Stevenson's yardage was how much of it came after contact thanks to a plethora of broken/missed tackles. Stevenson's 10 missed tackles and 118 yards after contact both were the most by any running back in Week 1 ahead of Monday Night Football.
The Patriots got the ball back with 2:13 remaining in the fourth quarter while protecting a 16-10 lead. They needed a couple first downs to seal the victory. Stevenson got the ball on the first four plays of the drive and gained five yards, nine yards, three yards and nine yards. The next three plays were kneel downs as New England ran out the clock.
When the Patriots needed it most in a clutch situation, Stevenson delivered.
“One thing I’ll say about Rhamondre, and I’ve told him this, I think he’s one of the best (running) backs in the league. I just don’t think he gets the appreciation. I don’t think he gets the hype as some of these other backs," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told WEEI's The Greg Hill Show on Monday.
"He's one of these guys who always falls forward for four of five yards. At the end of the game there, he was a little bit tired and he wanted to stay in the game. And I was like, ‘This is the start of something special going forward.'”
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After an impressive Week 1 that saw both Stevenson and the offensive line work so well together, we should expect the Patriots offense to rely on the rushing attack plenty more throughout the season.
"One thing I would say is we're a game-planning team overall," Mayo told reporters Monday. "And one thing Eliot (Wolf) and I agreed on is that Rhamondre is a very special back. He may not get all the publicity, but this is a guy that can run the ball, fall forward for four yards every single play, catch the ball out of the backfield, and is also a very smart football player.
"You want to get the ball in the hands of your best players, and I would say Rhamondre is one of those."
