NFL Writer Thinks Not Benching Patriots’ Star Was Key To Super Bowl Berth

The New England Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl after defeating the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship on Sunday.

One of the main reasons New England was able to defeat Denver was because of running back Rhamondre Stevenson. However, he nearly missed the opportunity to have such a significant impact on the game.

Stevenson fumbled twice in a Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there was a chance the Patriots were going to bench him. Head coach Mike Vrabel decided to stick with Stevenson as his starting running back for most of the season, except when he missed three games due to injury. CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin believes that not benching Stevenson in September was a reason why New England reached the Super Bowl.

“Down the stretch of the season, Stevenson was fantastic. Across the final five games of the year, Stevenson ran 41 times for 319 yards (7.8 per carry) and caught 15 passes for another 171 yards, totaling six touchdowns along the way,” Dubin wrote on Monday. “He then had 128 total yards against the Chargers in the opening round of the playoffs and another 81 against the Texans in the divisional round.

“He was mostly bottled up by the Broncos, but so was the entire offense. Meanwhile, Henderson has been struggling during the same stretch. If the Pats hadn’t kept Stevenson in the rotation and instead glued him to the bench after his fumbles and his later injury, they might not be where they are right now.”

Stevenson carried the ball 25 times against the Broncos, rushing for a total of 71 yards. Although he averaged 2.8 yards per carry, he was effective at holding onto the football despite the challenging weather conditions in the second half.