Patriots Country

Patriots Could Make RB Change

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo might make a change at running back.

Evan Massey

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) celebrates against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) celebrates against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots put up an impressive fight in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills. When all was said and done, they came up just four points shy of beating one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFL.

While the final score ended up being 24-21 in favor of the Bills, the Patriots had a lot to be proud of from their performance. It was the first time in weeks that New England had looked prepared to play.

For head coach Jerod Mayo, it was arguably his best coaching performance of the season.

Looking ahead to Week 17 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots may make a major change on the offensive side of the football.

After yet another fumble against Buffalo from running back Rhamondre Stevenson, could the team make a change at running back? Mayo already benched Stevenson earlier this season for the same reason.

As shared by Dakota Randall, a reporter covering the team, Mayo stated that a running back change is possible.

"That's definitely still a possibility," Mayo said.

Antonio Gibson, as Randall mentioned, would be the guy to take over the starting job if Mayo did bench Stevenson again.

So far this season in 14 games, Stevenson has carried the football 205 times for 800 yards and seven touchdowns. He has fumbled six times and lost three of them.

Gibson, on the other hand, has played in 15 games, racking up 434 yards and a touchdown on 96 carries. He has fumbled twice and lost none.

One of the biggest issues for New England this season has been self-inflicted mistakes. Fumbles are a big part of that issue.

In order for the Patriots to take the next step as a team, they have to fix the issues that they're causing for themselves. Should Stevenson be unable to fix his fumbling issue, New England may have a tough decision to make after giving him a contract extension last offseason.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what decision Mayo makes about the running back situation. Hopefully, Stevenson can fix his problem and get back to taking care of the football.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

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