Patriots’ Stevenson Sets Career Receiving Mark vs. Bears
Rhamondre Stevenson recorded a career-high 93 receiving yards on seven catches and scored on a 48-yard touchdown in the New England Patriots’ Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 22, 2026. The 48-yard score came at the end of the second quarter and marked the longest touchdown reception of Stevenson’s career. Quarterback Drake Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 321 yards in the game, his second 300-yard performance of the 2026 season.
Stevenson’s previous single-game receiving high was 88 yards at Miami on Sept. 14, 2025, and his 93 yards are the most by a Patriots running back since James White had 98 receiving yards on Dec. 1, 2019, at Houston. The 48-yard touchdown also moved Stevenson into 22nd place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 220 career points, passing Steve Grogan and James White. The play is the second-longest reception of his career behind a 55-yard catch at Miami on Sept. 14, 2025. He also had a 22-yard touchdown reception at the New York Jets on Dec. 28, 2025.
Maye’s 48-yard touchdown to Stevenson and a 30-yard touchdown to tight end Eli Raridon gave him two 30-yard touchdown passes in the game, his second such outing of the 2026 season. Those plays represented Maye’s 11th and 12th touchdown passes of at least 30 yards over the last two seasons, the most in the NFL in that span. He also recorded his second 40-yard touchdown pass of the season, adding to a 42-yard scoring pass to Romeo Doubs against the New York Jets on Oct. 18, 2026, and he had a 374-yard performance versus Las Vegas on Oct. 11, 2026.
Linebacker Christian Elliss tied a career high with 13 total tackles, marking his third career 10-tackle game and his second of the 2026 season. Cornerback Marcus Jones notched a 7-yard sack in the third quarter for his first sack of the season and the third of his career. On the offensive line, Walter Rouse started his first NFL game at left guard while Matt Pryor started at right guard, the latter constituting 26 of Pryor’s 41 career starts at that position. Xavier Newman-Johnson and Benton Whitley played their first games with the Patriots after elevations from the practice squad, and cornerback Charles Woods made his third straight start in place of Carlton Davis III, who remained out with an injury.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Stevenson’s usage as a receiving option continued to grow in Week 7, and his 93-yard day highlights the Patriots’ ability to get playmakers the ball out of the backfield. Maye’s production on deep throws, including two 30-plus-yard touchdown passes, underscores his role as a vertical threat and explains his league-leading total of long touchdowns over the last two seasons. The roster adjustments on the offensive line and the contributions from practice-squad elevations illustrate New England’s depth approach as injuries and rotations occur through the season. Defensively, Elliss’s high tackle total and Marcus Jones’s sack show individual impact plays even as the unit seeks more consistent production.