Rhamondre Stevenson is still pushing to play in Week 10, even with a knee injury that kept him limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. The New England Patriots listed him as questionable on their final injury report before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany.
That matters because Stevenson is not just trying to get through a week of practice. He has been working through the injury, getting extra work whenever possible and spending time off to the side during team sessions. Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday that Stevenson has told teammates he is pushing to try to play, a sign that he is fighting to be available after the knee issue initially looked serious enough to threaten multiple games.
The Patriots need that fight. TreVeyon Henderson has been officially placed on injury reserve after missing the last few weeks, which leaves the backfield thinner than it would like to be for a game with real travel and real stakes. If Stevenson cannot go, Corey Kiner could see a larger workload, but that would leave the Patriots leaning on depth instead of the player they have spent the week trying to get ready.
There is still a gap between Stevenson wanting to play and New England actually clearing him. Fowler said he would not be surprised if the Patriots ultimately hold him out, even with Stevenson pushing hard to suit up. That is the part that will matter most when Sunday arrives: whether the team decides the knee is good enough for game action, or whether it decides that one more week is the safer call.
For now, the situation has been reduced to a simple question with a hard deadline. Stevenson wants in, the Patriots have labeled him questionable, and the answer will have to come before kickoff against the Detroit Lions.
