Running back Rhamondre Stevenson has enjoyed a nice resurgence so far through two playoff games, but Sunday did see him leave the field for part of the game due to injury.
The veteran back suffered what the team reported as an “eye” injury early in the game, which led to the club having to turn to rookie TreVeyon Henderson for an extended period while Stevenson tried to get back on the field.
According to the broadcast, the training staff administered eye drops on the sideline trying to help him work through it, but Stevenson apparently still was having issues.
He did eventually come back in the game and appeared to be wearing a visor in his helmet, with Stevenson making some key runs down the stretch to help seal the win.
Now he’s excited for the opportunity to play in an AFC Championship after two difficult 4-13 seasons.
“Got poked in the eye a little bit, but nothing serious at all,” said Stevenson after the game. “Very excited. I’ve been in the league for five years, haven’t been in this position, so I’m going to make the most of it, put my best foot forward, and hopefully get another win next week and on to the big game.”
Stevenson finished the afternoon carrying 16 times for 70 yards, as well as hauling in 4 passes for 11 yards. Most of those receiving yards came early in the first quarter, with Stevenson making a nice play on a 9-yard catch and run from Drake Maye on their second offensive possession. He followed that up with a 20-yard gain that got them into Houston territory and eventually helped set up the 28-yard touchdown by Demario Douglas, which put them up 7-0.
But the most impressive part of his performance came on New England’s second to last drive. Stevenson helped get the running game going as the Patriots held the football for over six minutes, burning clock from the 11:57 mark, all the way down to just under six minutes remaining.
He then helped burn another two minutes the next time they got the football, before one final defensive stop allowed them to line up in victory formation and close out the game.
Stevenson credited his offensive line for their toughness down the stretch, which allowed them to shut the door on the Texans and advance.
“Yeah, it takes all 11 on the offensive side of the ball and it feels good to end the game with the ball in my hands and just running behind my O’Linemen,” said Stevenson. “That’s tough football in my eyes, just controlling the clock and running it when they know you’re going to run it. So great thing to get that done today. And a lot to clean up for sure, but great to get that done.”
Stevenson and the Patriots will face the Denver Broncos next Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
