The 2026 NFL season will kick off with a Super Bowl rematch, as Rhamondre Stevenson and the New England Patriots seek revenge on the Seattle Seahawks.
Looking at the odds, the defending champion Seahawks enter as three-point favorites and hold -166 odds to win outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Patriots hold +140 odds to produce the upset, with the game total set at 44.5 points. For a full breakdown of the matchup on DraftKings Network, check out our Seahawks vs. Patriots prediction and pick.
Rhamondre Stevenson has largely been overlooked in the outlook for New England, but last year’s 38th-overall pick TreVeyon Henderson has since been ruled out for tonight’s matchup due to a left ankle injury. Henderson has not practiced all week due to this issue, and his absence creates a more favorable outlook for Stevenson tonight. Here is my best bet for the Patriots’ top available running back in the Wednesday night NFL opener.
Rhamondre Stevenson Best Rushing and Receiving Yards Pick vs. Seahawks
Rhamondre Stevenson Over 86.5 Rushing & Receiving Yards (-115)
There has been a bit of a rush by Patriots and general NFL fans alike to move on from Rhamondre Stevenson in the New England backfield. While he is not the flashiest runner with the football, Stevenson is effective out of beyond what he gets recognized for and has proven perfectly capable of playing a major role on one of the top offenses in the league. The 28-year-old is coming off a season in which he finished with 603 rushing yards, 345 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns across 14 games played. Sure, this is not quite to the level of Henderson’s 911 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns, but it is still a noteworthy role in the offense. But this will not be a factor tonight as Stevenson steps to center stage of the running back production.
The Oklahoma product averaged just 67.7 combined rushing and receiving yards per game across the season last year. He tallied over 86.5 total yards from scrimmage just twice over his first 12 games. However, this outlook changed toward the end of the season. Upon returning from injury, he exploded for 96.3 scrimmage yards per game across his final eight matchups, including the playoffs. Stevenson tallied 131 rushing yards, along with 22 receiving yards during the final regular season game and as many as 128 combined rushing and receiving yards in a playoff game.
This is all while Stevenson averaged just 59% of the offensive snaps on the season. He only logged over 67.3% of the snaps in four games and was on the field for as few as 31% of snaps during a matchup last year. With Henderson no longer in play for touches, Corey Kiner is the only real threat to steal carries. Kiner had just 12 career carries across his rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals and should not be looked at as a major threat.
Seattle boasts a strong defense that held teams to the fewest points per game in the league last year. The Seahawks are expected to be one of the top units in the league again this year, and they ranked third in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed last season as well. However, there have been key losses in this unit and they also still allowed 102+ yards on the ground in nine matchups last season, even with the strong overall defensive unit. Stevenson tallied seven carries for 23 rushing yards and five receptions for 40 yards during the Super Bowl matchup with the Seahawks.
It may not be the cleanest pathway to getting there, but expect a strong volume of opportunities for Stevenson throughout this matchup. His growth as a pass catcher improves his outlook in a major way, and he will be leaned on heavily tonight. While he very well may be more of a fade candidate for the remainder of the season, expect the Patriots to be committed to providing a base attack on the ground in this season opener and for Stevenson to benefit greatly from his additional usage due to Henderson’s injury. Expect the 86.5 combined rushing and receiving total to be too low based on the workload that will be put on his plate, and for the Patriots running back to be eager to play his best in an effort to cement his role moving forward.
