Rhamondre Stevenson’s Hilarious Sideline Mix-Up Has Matthew Judon Mistaken for Bill Belichick

In the third quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson gave a hilarious sideline interview.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 16, 2024 | 10:05 PM IST | 48.4K

Rhamondre Stevenson, Mathew Judon & Bill Bellichick [Credit-X]

It's the NFL preseason, so clubs still have plenty of time to fine-tune lineups, test out new plays, and practice answering questions during in-game interviews.

In the New England Patriots' 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Pats running back Rhamondre Stevenson found himself in an unusual scenario during an interview with sideline reporter Steve Burton.

During the third quarter, Burton questioned Stevenson about former teammate Matthew Judon's move to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week. However, Burton's query was imprecise and did not specify Judon's name, causing Stevenson to assume Burton was inquiring about another ex-Patriots member.

“I gotta ask you about the guy who just left,” Burton said on the NFL Network telecast. “How much are you gonna miss him, and who’s going to step up in his place?”

“I miss Bill [Belichick],” Stevenson responded. “That was one of my favorite coaches. But, you know, [Jerod] Mayo, he’s a great leader. He knows what he’s doing with us. I’m excited for Mayo and I think we can get it done with him.”

Burton subsequently clarified that he wasn't referring to Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, Bill Belichick's replacement. Rather, he was referring to Stevenson's previous "defensive teammate."

"Oh, Judon," Stevenson said. "Excited for him, I still know he has a couple more years in him, so I'm excited for him."

Stevenson cannot be faulted for his unintentional error because Burton did not make the subject of his inquiry obvious, to begin with, and never mentioned Judon's name at any point during the conversation. Nonetheless, the event provided possibly the most embarrassing on-screen moment of the NFL preseason thus far.

This autumn, Stevenson, Mayo, and the Patriots will seek to improve on last year's disastrous 4-13 season, while Judon adjusts to his new team in the NFC South. Belichick has landed one or two media contracts that will keep him occupied for the 2024-25 season.

Philadelphia Eagles beat New England Patriots 14-13 in pre-season

The Patriots had snap troubles all night, and it was a mishandled snap late in the fourth quarter that ended the game. Bailey Zappe played only one series, the final one, and never had an opportunity to win the game since the drive was cut short by the botched snap.

Both teams will work hard on the practice grounds during the next week before their last tune-up game. New England will face Washington in a battle of the top three rookies, while the Eagles will meet the Vikings in an attempt to go undefeated in preseason.

The Eagles, as we've seen them do so frequently after games, rallied and won the game at Gillette Stadium. Tanner McKee returned to the field after sitting on the bench for what felt like the remainder of the night.

He replaced Grier and led the game-winning drive with less than 5:00 remaining. Kendall Milton scored the touchdown, and McKee connected with Ainias Smith for the two-point conversion to take the lead. McKee finished the night 15-of-19 for 140 yards, including the game-winning play.

After Will Grier set up Jake Elliott's field goal to trim the margin to four, Davis Wallis had one of the finest run backs we've seen under the new kickoff regulation. This would allow Joe Milton to advance the ball down the field, setting up a 45-yard field goal by Joey Slye to maintain a 7-point advantage with 10 minutes remaining.

We can all agree that this new kickoff rule will restore enthusiasm to a portion of the game that has been dormant for some years.

Grier finished 3/5 for 35 yards in a brief stay on the field, while Milton went 2/7 for 20 yards and was sacked twice after a promising start.

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