After carrying a heavy workload in week one's upset win at Cincinnati, Rhamondre Stevenson was told to stand down for Wednesday's practice. First-year running backs coach Taylor Embree wanted to give Stevenson another day to rest and recover from his 25-carry, 120-yard performance. So, as he worked with the backs at one end of the field, imagine Embree's surprise when he looked up and saw the fourth-year pro running gassers at the other end.
"I'm like, 'What are we doing, man?' chuckled Embree before adding, "he knows his body; he knows his conditioning. He knows what he needs to do."
Embree is still learning about his charges, so it was new to him that this is part of Stevenson's regimen, whether it is a day off or not. But you get the sense that if this pace keeps up, the coaching staff might have to keep an even closer eye on Stevenson.
"It's a long season, especially for the running backs," said Embree. "I mean, you're taking - you had 25 carries. That's 25 times you're getting hit. So it, obviously the rest stuff's important."
Stevenson has been scarce in the locker room this week but, in a brief appearance, dismissed any notion that the number of carries was too much. And he did it with a smile, which fits his personality off the field. On the field? Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called the 26-year-old "Special."
"He's a great back," admired Van Pelt. "I've been around some good ones, and he's got to be right up there. His contact balance, his vision. His ability, I thought, to make guys miss at the second and third level, that was really impressive."
Van Pelt said the Pats counted their running backs making 14 guys miss over the course of the day. Add that to the yards after contact number (PFF had Stevenson with 118 of his 120 yards after the first hit), and it shows how difficult it is to stop a player with a style that is hard to describe, even for the professionals.
"He's very interesting. He's not like LeGarrette (Blount). LeGarrette was such a huge, physical back and could do some really good things too, obviously," explained David Andrews. "But Rhamondre has that ability to stick it in there, (to) get downhill. But also, I think there was a duo play we ran, and he's out on the corner, making a guy like that miss and things like that. He's got such good short space quickness...he's really a dynamic back in a lot of different phases."
No back in football last year carried the ball more than the 280 times Derrick Henry did. Stevenson has never approached that number. His career-high in carries is 210 in 2022, but if he's going to remain the focal point (and remain healthy), the former University of Oklahoma star will smash that total by the time he gets to December.
PLAYING SMALL FOR THE GIANTS
So last week, I wondered if the Giants were in for a world of hurt this season. Daniel Jones had an awful summer - Jets players struggled to find a way to say something nice about him after their joint practice - and that carried over into week one of the regular season. They got stomped by the Vikings, 28-6. The MetLife crowd began the game on edge and became more frustrated as the bleep show continued. Some fans waited for Jones as he left the stadium to boo, and others burned his jersey (what a waste of money). That is not healthy for anyone involved, especially the much-maligned Jones.
"Fans are upset and frustrated, and we're frustrated, too," said the quarterback. "I understand that. I'm not easily offended. I understand how it works and know I've got to play better. We all got to play better."
Look, this isn't entirely on Jones. The team appeared to have whiffed on 2022 top-10 pick Evan Neal, have generally done a lousy job of drafting since I don't know when, and added half the Las Vegas Raiders offensive line from a year ago to protect the QB (and that Raiders unit wasn't good). Throw in a defense that is weak in the secondary and overpaid for Brian Burns (a B+ player getting A+ money), and you have a recipe for mediocrity at best and general suckitude at worst.
Head coach Brian Daboll, who took over playcalling duties heading in the year, had no scheme answers to elevate Jones or the offense, even with shiny new toy Malik Nabers at wide receiver (newsflash: he's really good). Jones completed 22-of-42 throws and tossed a pair of interceptions, including one that went back for a touchdown. Daboll was asked Wednesday if Jones was still the starter and curtly answered in the affirmative. Will that last?
"We all have full belief and faith in DJ; I'm not worried about him at all," said wideout Jalin Hyatt. "It's one week; we all forget that he's coming off of an ACL injury, so it's his first time in action, but we know he'll get better, and we'll get better for him."
Jones has a history of playing well against this weekend's opponent, Washington. He may need that to quell the benching/move on from him after the season talk.
"I'm playing to win games," said Jones. "I'm playing to lead the team to score points and win games; that's always been my focus, and I am confident I can do that. I just have to do it and do it well."
WRISTWATCH
Lost in New England, but not around the NFL, is the worrying and wondering about Joe Burrow's wrist injury. On Sunday, the TV cameras caught him flexing that surgically repaired wrist. Considering it was a relatively rare injury and how the Bengals managed their quarterback this spring and summer, the concern is legitimate.
"That's part of ligament injuries," said Burrow, trying to calm the masses. "If you don't move it, you're going to lose it, so I'm always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it's supposed to be, so it's going to continue to happen."
Burrow did not look like the confident/cocky signal caller that those of us who appreciate the position have come to admire. He rarely pushed the ball downfield - the Patriots were complicit in that - and lacked that swagger that had him once declare the team's championship window was open as long as he was the quarterback. It didn't help that Tee Higgins sat out the game with a hamstring injury, and Ja'Marr Chase played but not very well, which makes sense because he didn't practice all summer (with a hold-in that didn't accomplish his ultimate goal yet), but he will need to elevate whoever is out there. That's why owner Mike Brown is paying him the big bucks.
"It's a luxury right now to be criticized by all you guys about how we played on Sunday because I was sitting in the wings for seven weeks last year," said Burrow. "So I'm just excited to be out there."
The Chiefs are up next. The Bengals have past history on their side, winning three of their last four against KC, but that was then, and this is now. The triggerman looks reluctant, and the team around him seems uncertain. Playing the best team in the league is generally not a recipe for finding your footing, but if Cincy doesn't, they're staring down the barrel of a 0-2 start.
NICO'S A BAD MAN
When we talk about the best wide receivers in the league, the conversation starts with Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson and continues with the likes of AJ Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Davante Adams (he might be on the downside — it's hard to fully know with that quarterback situation). But it might be about time to include Nico Collins in this discussion.
The Texans wideout is a bully. He's 6-foot-4, 225 pounds - think D.K. Metcalf - but has morphed from a wideout with a limited route tree into one that can be utilized in many ways on many levels - short, medium, and long. So, for as good as second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud is, Collins deserves his share of the credit for helping the kid, including this past weekend. The former Michigan product reeled in an underthrown Stroud toss for a 55-yard gain against the Colts (setting up a Stefon Diggs TD), had a critical third-down conversion late in the game, and finished with a half-dozen catches for 117 yards in a thrilling 29-27 win.
"So, that's what Nico does," said head coach DeMeco Ryans of that third down play. "He makes big-time plays in the moment when we needed it most. What a play, what an awesome catch. For him to get down inbounds, it was really big-time."
Collins is still developing. He's in just his fourth year in the league and will turn 26 next March. Nick Caserio knows what he has. This spring, the Houston GM inked Collins to a three-year extension for $75 million. I don't blame him, and Caserio may have gotten off cheap.
"When I catch the ball, that first dude is not tackling me," said Collins. "I feel like that's my mindset. I'm going to go score. I know I'm a bigger body, bigger frame. I've got to use it. Be physical. I feel like if you play full speed all the time, it's going to be hard to come down.
"So, I feel like, for me, just catch a ball and just run. Run through whoever you see. Go score, go put points on the board. I feel like you do that over and over and over; that shows the team that you want it. It puts fear in opposing defenses like, 'Yeah, they're not quitting.'"
If that doesn't make your Spider senses tingle, I don't know what will.
NERD NUMBERS
- There were only 35 passing TDs and an average of 407 passing YPG in Week 1 of the 2024 season. That's the fewest passing TDs in Week 1 since 2006 and the fewest pass YPG since 1992.
- Only 2 quarterbacks had 3+ passing TDs in Week 1, 2024 (Baker Mayfield: 4; Derek Carr: 3). That's the fewest players with 3+ passing TDs in Week 1 since 2014 (also 2 such players).
- 3 of the 4 top paid QBs lost in Week 1, 2024, and each 4 had a sub-100 passer rating. The top-4 paid QBs (APY): Dak Prescott ($60.0M), Burrow ($55.0M), Trevor Lawrence ($55.0M), and Jordan Love ($55.0M). Prescott was the only one to win their Week 1 game.
- Tua Tagovailoa (338) andMatthew Stafford (317) were the only 300+ yard passers in Week 1. That's the fewest 300-yard passers in Week 1 since 2005 (also 2; STL Marc Bulger and NE Tom Brady).
- The flip side: Quarterbacks combined to rush for 787 yards and 8 TDs in Week 1. Both numbers are the most by QBs in any Week 1 in NFL history.
- There were 21 field goals of 50+ yards made in Week 1. That is the most FGs of 50+ yards made in a single week all-time, besting the previous high by six.