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Rhamondre Stevenson’s fumbling woes were on full display early in the season. Social media was quick to want the Patriots to move on from Stevenson — especially after he fumbled at the goal line during New England’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this season. But Mike Vrabel never lost faith in his running back. The patience paid off in Week 7 as Stevenson carried the ball 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ 31-13 win over the Tennessee Titans. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact Stevenson didn’t fumble. “There will be a time where they’re calling for my job, and they’re calling for everybody’s job. That’s just how this business works,” Vrabel said Monday on WEEI. “And I didn’t want to jerk the wheel, but also, there was a lot of conversations about what our ball carriers and our receivers and everybody that has the football, how they have to take care of it, or that we have to make some other decisions.” Vrabel then pointed to other ways Stevenson impacts the game when the ball isn’t in his hands. “You look at last week, at the end of the game. He steps up, he blocks the inside linebacker. Yesterday, he’s blocking in protection, he’s up in the A-gap. He goes out, scans out to the nickel, and we’re able to get a big third down pass off,” he said. “So he does a lot of things without the football, and then when he does have the football, when he takes care of it, and he’s decisive, he’s been good.” Stevenson’s carries and rushing yards were both career-highs, while Week 7 marked the second straight game the running back didn’t fumble the ball away. The Patriots are 5-2 after Sunday’s win as Stevenson and the rest of the team look for their fifth straight win in Week 8 when they welcome the Cleveland Browns to Gillette Stadium.
