What will the Patriots’ run game look like without Rhamondre Stevenson?

After a tough start to the season the New England Patriots' running game finally got going the last two weeks, with a 175-yard performance against the Tennessee Titans followed by a 177-yard performance against the Cleveland Browns. However, they'll face a new test this week as they'll be without top back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed on Friday afternoon Stevenson has already been ruled out for this Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Stevenson missed practice all three days this week as he deals with a toe injury.

Through eight games Stevenson has been the Patriots' leading rusher, with the team continuing to lean on him even after early-season fumble issues. He has a team-high 83 carries for 279 yards and three touchdowns. So far this year he's been on the field for 61.9% of the Patriots' offensive snaps, almost double the next-closest running back.

Without Stevenson the Patriots have just two healthy running backs on their active roster in TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings. Both should see increased time in this one with Stevenson out.

Henderson, the Patriots' second-round pick in this past draft out of Ohio State, will likely be the main back in the rotation. After a slow start to his rookie season things finally started to click last week. He more than doubled his previous season high for rushing yards in a game, picking up 75 yards on 10 carries against a strong Browns defense. However, he did lose a fumble late in that game.

Spelling Henderson will be Jennings, who was signed off of the practice squad this week. A 2024 UDFA out of Florida A&M, Jennings has been with the Patriots since the start of last year. He's a physical runner who will initiate contact himself at the point of attack, but doesn't have a ton of NFL experince.

Jennings has appeared in six career games - three last year and three this year as a practice squad elevation. In that time he's carried the ball 20 times for a total of 66 yards. The Patriots have used him to close out games in each of the last two weeks.

Ever since Antonio Gibson's injury the Patriots have still had three running backs on the their gameday roster, which they accomplished by elevating Jennings. Without Stevenson they'll likely need to elevate a player again.

That will mean having a player new to the team likely active, as all three running backs on the practice squad - D'Ernset Johnson, Jonathan Ward, and Rushawn Baker - all signed this week.

"We try to figure out who is ready to go at the end of the week, and we'll make that decision tomorrow," Vrabel said on Friday when asked about potentially elevating one of those three backs. Just like we tell everybody when they get here on Wednesday, whoever is here on the active [roster] or the practice squad, 'prepare as a starter.' I feel like those guys have done that and try to do that."

Johnson seems like the most likely one to get elevated, given his NFL experience. Between time with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Arizona Cardinals going back to 2019, he's carried the ball 215 times for 989 yards and three touchdowns. He's also proven he can play in the passing game.

All of this comes in a week where the Patriots may need to lean on their running game. In terms of yards per play allowed the Falcons have the fourth-ranked pass defense in the NFL, compared to the 23rd ranked run defense. It's to the Patriots' advantage to keep the ball on the ground in this one - even if that means tapping into their depth to do so.

There's one other ball carrier the Patriots could rely on to help boost the run game - quarterback Drake Maye. Maye is the Patriots' second-leading rusher overall this year with 260 yards on 42 carries (excluding kneeldowns), and has been their leading rusher outright in two games this season.

Meanwhile, the Falcons have been one of the worst teams in the NFL against QB runs this year. They're allowing 5.5 yards per run against quarterbacks, which ranks 29th in the NFL.

Granted, the majority of Maye's carries have come on scrambles rather than designed runs, but so has much of the QB rushing success against Atlanta. It's unlikely the Patriots would make a major change to that philosophy in terms of running Maye in just a week's notice, but his legs being a factor - in whatever context that ends up being the case - could end up mattering more in this game than most.