Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson pushing to be among NFLs best RBs

Rhamondre Stevenson was given the ultimate respect by the New England Patriots coaching staff this week .

He was rewarded with a limited workload Wednesday instead of banging away in full pads.

Coach Jerod Mayo hinted that Stevenson has shared lofty goals with him.

Stevenson 's 25 carries in Week 1 were the third most in the NFL , behind the Texans ' Joe Mixon .

New England Patriots left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was pulled after 12 snaps in the season opener and didn't return.

He signed a one-year contract with a $4 million in March , including a $2 million signing bonus.

There might not be a cornerback in the NFL who will face the gauntlet of No. 1 receivers.

Sunday 's game against the Seahawks might be a good test.

Last season , Carroll and Belichick were the NFL 's oldest head coaches. This year , Macdonald and Mayo are the NFL 's youngest head coaches. 10 . Did you know? The Patriots have a 2 -3 record against the Seahawks since 2000 , making them the only team New England has a losing record against over that span..