Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or MarShawn Lloyd

Monday, January 26, 10:58 AM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson took on a workhorse role in his team's AFC Championship Game win over the Denver Broncos, recording 71 rushing yards on 25 carries. While Stevenson averaged a highly inefficient 2.8 yards per touch for the game, he was still a crucial piece in helping New England game-manage its way to a victory in snowy conditions in Denver. The Patriots finished the game with just 206 yards of total offense, so Stevenson accounted for over a third of his team's output. Stevenson also appears to have completely taken over the lead role in New England's backfield from rookie back TreVeyon Henderson. After playing over 60% of the Patriots' offensive snaps in each of their first two postseason games, Stevenson played 94% of the team's snaps against Denver. Both New England backs now face a difficult matchup in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, who finished the regular season ranked first among NFL defenses in yards per carry allowed (3.7). Still, Stevenson appears better positioned than Henderson to take on a high-volume role and should have his chances for production.

Tuesday, December 16, 3:42 PM

After having another injury setback recently with his hamstring, Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring, calf) is unlikely to come off Injured Reserve and play this year, according to Ryan Wood of USA Today Sports. "I'm not going to say no, but I think you can use deductive reasoning on that one," head coach Matt LaFleur said when asked if Lloyd can return this year. "It's very, very, very unfortunate, because this guy has worked his ass off." The 24-year-old second-year RB suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason and then injured his calf while rehabbing, forcing him to IR before the start of the 2025 campaign. The Packers opened Lloyd's 21-day practice window at the beginning of December, but a recent setback with his balky hamstring has put an end to hopes that he'd be an asset for the Packers late in the year. He has played in just one career game for the Packers in two seasons, and his future in the league is in doubt going into Year 3.