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Patriots RB Responds to Benching With Electrifying Touchdown

New England Patriots running back responded to being benched with an electrifying touchdown run.

Evan Massey

Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) celebrates with offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (70) after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Gillette Stadium.
Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) celebrates with offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (70) after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Gillette Stadium. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots came into today's matchup against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins badly needing a win. They also made a major change on the offensive side of the football.

Jerod Mayo made the decision to bench starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson. In his place, they started Antonio Gibson at running back.

Despite not being the starting running back, Stevenson didn't wait long to make a massive impact in the game.

Late in the first quarter, Stevenson took a handoff and run 33 yards for a touchdown.

Take a look at the big-time score for yourself:

Stevenson has the talent and potential to be an elite starting running back. It was that potential and talent that made the Patriots give him a lucrative four-year, $36 million extension during the offseason.

Coming into today's game, Stevenson had carried the football 65 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He was averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Clearly, those aren't bad numbers. The turnover issues were what was causing him problems. Benching him was a decision to help motivate him and it seems to have worked so far.

While it's still early in the game, New England has competed much better than it did in the previous two games. Hopefully, they'll be able to keep that up and come through with a big win.

At 26 years old, Stevenson needs to figure out his fumbling issues as well. He's going to be a huge part of the Patriots' offensive game plan for years to come. This could be a big step towards getting him back on track as well.

Only time will tell, but responding to his benching with this kind of impact play bodes well. New England will need him to continue to make an impact throughout the rest of the game as well.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

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