Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or TreVeyon Henderson

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.

Monday, January 26, 1:05 PM

New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson played a season-low 6% of the offensive snaps in Sunday's win over the hosting Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship. Meanwhile, backfield mate Rhamondre Stevenson played a season-high 94% of the snaps, carrying the ball 25 times for 71 yards in the 10-7 snowy victory. Henderson once again took a back seat to Stevenson, rushing the pigskin only three times for five yards. He was not targeted in the passing game. There was little offense to come by for either team in bad conditions in the second half in the Mile High City on Sunday, as the Patriots only mustered 206 yards of total offense. The 23-year-old from Ohio State had 23 total touches in the team's first two playoff wins, and he'll head into the Super Bowl in two weeks against a tough Seattle Seahawks defense as New England's clear No. 2 RB behind Stevenson.