The question entering Sunday was a pretty obvious one as it pertained to the New England Patriots and their running backs.
Would Rhamondre Stevenson's return from injury send TreVeyon Henderson back to playing second fiddle on the RB depth chart?
The answer was a resounding no.
Rather than Stevenson dominate the workload, it was Henderson as the lead back in the Pats' Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
New England is now 10-2, but it clearly wasn't afraid to flip the running back script and stick with the rookie.
"Rookie TreVeyon Henderson remained the Pats' No. 1 running back despite Rhamondre Stevenson's return after missing three games with a turf toe injury," ESPN's Mike Reiss wrote on Monday. "Henderson was charted on the field for 19 first-half snaps to Stevenson's nine -- a trend that continued in the second half. Stevenson was utilized more in obvious passing situations and at the goal line. Prior to his injury, he had played 62% of the offensive snaps, while Henderson was at 32%."
The Patriots even used RB3 Terrell Jennings for a couple plays down by the goal line, so that's still an area of the work that Henderson isn't being trusted with.
But otherwise, New England stuck with Henderson. He played well with Stevenson out, particularly showing off an explosiveness that Stevenson simply doesn't have.
This may not be the exact breakdown every week. The Patriots could decide certain matchups call more directly for Stevenson's powerful running.
But for those hoping for Henderson to take the job, it seems like he at the very least has taken a firm grip of it.
More news:
- Vandy football has made history not done since 1915
- J.J. McCarthy had a day so bad it hadn't happened since 2002
- Nation's longest high school winning streak snapped at 76 games
- Thanks to Steven Adams, the Rockets are on pace to break an all-time NBA record
- Shedeur Sanders makes Browns history as he begins to write a story all his own
- Blackhawks' 1st-round pick just led his high school football team to a state title