Patriots lose Rhamondre Stevenson for weeks as Lions game in Munich nears
Rhamondre Stevenson's knee tendon injury leaves the Patriots with Corey Kiner and Lan Larison as their only healthy backs for the Lions game in Munich.
The New England Patriots will play the Detroit Lions in Munich without their lead running back. Rhamondre Stevenson has a tendon injury in his knee that should not need surgery but is expected to keep him out for a short stretch, a source told Adam Schefter, according to ESPN. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the injury is to the back of the knee and should cost him the next few weeks.
Stevenson was hurt late in the third quarter of Sunday's 45-27 home loss to Green Bay. He was pulled down after a 6-yard catch with New England already trailing 42-14. Before leaving, he had six carries for 32 yards and three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports reported.
The Patriots will miss more than his yardage. Stevenson has played 65 percent of the offensive snaps this season. He has 399 yards and two touchdowns on 102 carries, a 3.9-yard average, plus 26 catches for 258 yards and two more scores. Coach Mike Vrabel has pointed to his pass protection as central to how the offense works. TreVeyon Henderson, the No. 2 back, has missed the past two games with an illness. That leaves Corey Kiner and Lan Larison as the only healthy running backs on the 53-man roster, as SB Nation noted. Terrell Jennings is on the practice squad.
Kiner, who came over from Arizona in an Aug. 29 trade, has run 50 times for 244 yards, 4.9 per carry, on 13 percent of the snaps. Vrabel said Kiner "has done a really nice job," according to ESPN. The coach also made clear that Kiner still has work to do picking up blitzes. That matters for an offense that is already without receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs and guards Michael Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker, according to ProFootball Talk.
What it means for Detroit
The game on Sunday, Nov. 15, airs on Fox. New England is scheduled to fly to Germany late Wednesday and has its bye the following week. At 5-4, the Patriots have alternated wins and losses over their last four games. The Packers loss was the most points they have allowed all season. Across nine games, New England has scored 211 points and allowed 207. Losing a back the staff trusts in protection, on top of two missing starting guards, puts a lot on a thin group against a Lions team that is favored.
On this site's board for the game, which tracks 12 venues, Detroit is favored at -138 on Novig's moneyline. The Patriots are +133 there, and the best price anywhere is +138 at BetRivers. On the spread, Novig lists Detroit -2.5 at -120 and New England +2.5 at +113. Fanatics offers the Patriots at +3 for -115. The total is 51.5 at Novig, with the over at -100. FanDuel has 50.5 with the over at -115. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.0 to 5.7 percent on the moneyline. The venues are only a half-point apart on the spread and a point apart on the total, so the market still prices this as a close game. How Kiner and Larison handle the blocking assignments may count for more than whatever they gain on the ground.