Déjà vu strikes Patriots after Rhamondre Stevenson's late fumble ends comeback bid vs. Bengals: 'Should've just gone down'

Jacob Camenker

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Déjà vu strikes Patriots after Rhamondre Stevenson's late fumble ends comeback bid vs. Bengals: 'Should've just gone down' image

The Patriots were close to erasing a 22-0 deficit against the Bengals in Week 16. They were trailing 22-18 with less than a minute remaining but had driven to the Cincinnati 5-yard line with a first-and-goal opportunity upcoming.

It looked like New England was poised to get a potential game-winning score.

Instead, running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled that opportunity away.

Stevenson's fumble proved costly to the Patriots. They got the ball back after his fumble, but they never crossed their own 39-yard line with just 41 seconds left to mount a potential game-winning drive.

MORE: Chandler Jones discusses stiff arm of Mac Jones on game-winning TD

But what exactly happened during the play? Stevenson told reporters after the game that he was just trying to fight for extra yardage in the hopes of scoring.

"Was trying to make something happen," the running back said. "Probably trying to do more than I should. Probably should've just gone down."

That response will sound familiar to Patriots fans. Why? Because it lines up closely with what Jakobi Meyers said following New England's loss to the Raiders in Week 16.

Meyers was similarly despondent after an ill-fated, late-game lateral of his led to a Raiders touchdown with no time left on the clock.

"I was just doing too much. Trying to be a hero, I guess," Meyers said of the play. "I should have just went down with the ball."

MORE: Meyers' ill-conceived lateral stuns NFL world

Stevenson was involved in both miscues, as he was the one who first lateralled the ball to Meyers. Still, he seemed particularly bothered by his fumble against the Bengals and reportedly apologized to each of his starting offensive linemen for the turnover.

Stevenson will have a chance to atone for his mistakes in Week 17 when the Patriots take on the Dolphins.

However, the damage already appears to be done, as it will be hard for the Patriots — now 7-8 — to make any sort of postseason push.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.