Rhamondre Stevenson set to return for Patriots against Jaguars in London
BOSTON -- The Patriots will have top running back Rhamondre Stevenson back in the fold Sunday morning when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Stevenson is active for Sunday's tilt at Wembley Stadium after missing last week's loss to the Texans with a foot injury.
Stevenson's return should help take some pressure off New England quarterback Drake Maye in just his second career start. Stevenson has led the charge out of the backfield, averaging 4.8 yards on his 77 carries for 356 rushing yards and three touchdowns so far this season. He also has 13 catches for 38 yards,
He fought fumbling issues, losing the ball in two straight games to earn him a brief benching in Week 5, but Stevenson is one of New England's most explosive players on offense. The Patriots missed him last week against the Texans, when Antonio Gibson had just 19 yards on 13 carries. Maye was the team's leading rusher in Week 6, picking up 38 yards on five scrambles.
Two Patriots receivers are healthy scratches for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, with rookie Javon Backer and Tyquan Thornton both on the inactive list:
WR Javon Baker
LT Vederian Lowe
DT Jeremiah Pharms
LB Sione Takitaki
WR Tyquan Thornton
QB Joe Milton
Thornton is a healthy scratch for New England for the second straight week.
Lowe was ruled out Thursday before the team left for London, and his absence means the Patriots will their seventh different offensive line combination in seven weeks. The Patriots are likely going to have Demontrey Jacobs at left tackle with Michael Jordan at left guard, Ben Brown holding things down at center, Layden Robinson at right guard and Michael Onwenu back at right tackle.
On defense, Takitaki is inactive after making his debut last week. He was questionable throughout the week with a knee injury, indicating he's still not 100 percent after going offseason surgery. Takitaki played nine defensive snaps and 13 special teams snap in his return last week, and was flagged for a penalty on the game's opening kickoff.
He was one of the players that had to step up in a struggling New England linebackers corps, but that will now fall on guys like Raekwon McMillan and Christian Elliss. We could also see New England safeties Kyle Dugger, Marte Mapu, and Jaylinn Hawkins playing further up in the box against the Jaguars.
For Jacksonville, running back Travis Etienne is inactive for Sunday's game.