FOXBORO, Mass. -- When the Patriots drafted Rhamondre Stevenson in 2021, he immediately garnered comparisons to a former New England running back, LeGarrette Blount.
Stevenson will have a chance Sunday to join Blount in an exclusive club.
The second-year running back needs just 14 rushing yards in the Patriots' Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills to reach 1,000 for the season. Stevenson would be just the sixth New England rusher to hit that mark during the Bill Belichick era and the first since Blount rushed for 1,161 yards in 2016.
Getting a victory that would secure the Patriots a playoff spot is Stevenson's top priority, but he admitted he's hoping to reach 1K as New England closes out the regular season at Highmark Stadium.
"I don't really think too much about it," Stevenson said Friday before the Patriots traveled to Buffalo. "Actually, one of my linemen (right guard Mike Onwenu) came up to me today and told me how far I was away and things like that.
"It would be a great accomplishment, I think, just for me, the team, the offensive line -- just for all of us. Rushing for 1,000 yards in the NFL, I mean, I would call that an accomplishment. So, yeah, that would be nice to do."
Stevenson has emerged as one of the NFL's best all-around running backs this season, but his workload -- unusually heavy for a Patriots back -- has worn him down of late. After bulldozing for a career-high 172 yards on 19 carries in a Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, he's totaled 72 yards over the last two games. He's also struggled with ball security, and his timing in the passing game has been off.
Still, Stevenson entered Sunday ranked 14th in the NFL and 10th among running backs with 1,397 yards from scrimmage, which is the most by a Patriot since Wes Welker in 2011 (1,384) and the fifth-most in the Belichick era. And Damien Harris' recent return from a thigh injury has allowed the Patriots to dial back Stevenson's snap rate.
The Patriots can clinch a postseason berth Sunday with a win or losses by Miami and Pittsburgh.
