The once mighty New England Patriots are struggling this season. They’ve only won one out of four games so far, entering Week 4 of the 2024 season. Now the team, which was handling quarterback issues a couple of weeks ago, has taken another step to cure the problem of the franchise. And that issue was with Rhamondre Stevenson!

Rhamondre Stevenson will now be watching the Week 5 game of the Patriots against the Dolphins on Sunday from the bench. Yes! After the running back fumbled in each of the Pats’ four games of this season, coach Jerod Mayo took the decision to better sit him out at the moment.

According to X user, Carlos Talks Pats, Jerod Mayo said, “I had a conversation with Rhamondre and he won’t be starting … I’ll be upfront and transparent.” Now this might come as sad news for Rhamondre Stevenson, but he can likely get a chance in the future. This is because Mayo, himself mentioned, “But he will play. And he understands he has to protect the football going forward. You’re a target on a week to week basis as soon as you show that you’re gonna put the [pigskin] on the ground.” While on the other side, Antonio Gibson will take up his position, as per the depth chart.

Now, this means Rhamondre Stevenson has to look out for ways to avoid future fumbles at the earliest to come back to the team. But how can he do so? Of course, the practice would help, but there might be more to what it sees at present. And the perfect explanation to avoid this was recently given by the former Patriots legend, RB James White.

While speaking at The Money Down podcast on October 4, White mentioned the real problem of Rhamondre Stevenson. He said, “I think it’s mental… I think right now the ball isn’t the focus for him… he’s just trying to make plays, make guys miss… Look, he knows he’s gonna have to do some crazy stuff to make some stuff happen. But, to me, you just gotta keep that ball at the forefront of your mind at all times…” Moreover, the former NFL star believes Stevenson knows he has to take risks, but he emphasizes that protecting the football is always paramount.

According to him, the team is currently not in a position to handle turnovers because they’re already struggling to score. Hence, White stressed that fumbling could cost them games. In fact, Stevenson isn’t playing up to his potential right now. He needs to hold onto the pigskin if he wants to keep his starting job. Overall, though, the 26-year-old can get back on track if he focuses on protecting the football.

Rhamondre Stevenson will come back stronger!

Rhamondre Stevenson has been struggling with fumbles this season, and it’s really hurting the Patriots, who are now 1-3. Early in the season, they were lucky to recover his first two fumbles. But recently, the Jets and the 49ers capitalized on them, making things worse for the team. Now, Stevenson knew his mistakes and that’s why he already understood earlier that Coach Jerod Mayo might sit him out.

While talking to the media, Stevenson mentioned, “It’s the elephant in the room. I dropped the [pigskin] four times, so whatever the coaching staff has planned, I’m rocking with it. I’ll go out there and practice hard like I always do and get ready for Sunday.”

However, now that he has been told to sit out for Week 5 against Miami, he’s ready to accept fate with a motto. And this motto was shared by Rhamondre Stevenson himself on his official Instagram account. The athlete shared a story of late rapper Nipsey Hussle, which says, “Life Is Not Built For Your Success, You Have To Go Against The Odds.”

Probably, that’s what Rhamondre Stevenson is keeping in mind as he looks forward to coming back soon!