The team's final rushing stats looked respectable Sunday only because of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who rushed for a career-high 95 yards. Maye accounted for 86 percent of New England's total land length. The Patriots know that a one-sided relationship is unsustainable for a variety of reasons.

“We have to be able to control the football,” coach Jerod Mayo said after New England’s 20-17 overtime loss. “That was obviously disappointing. Drake was probably our leading rusher. You never really want your quarterback to be your leading rusher.”

So what can the Patriots do to get their running backs up to speed?

“I don’t know,” said Stevenson, who rushed for a season-low 16 yards on 10 carries. “I think that’s above my pay grade in some ways. I’ll just leave that to the coaches.”

When asked where the running game might be headed, Mayo stuck with his answer from two weeks ago.

“I always felt like it came down to attitude, stopping the run and running the ball,” Mayo said. “It starts with mentality and we just have to be better on both ends.”

Mayo also praised Tennessee's defensive line, particularly tackle Jeffery Simmons. Although New England's offensive line seemed to be trending in the right direction of late, the unit took a step back on Sunday and struggled with both run blocking and pass protection.

After using Michael Onwenu at right tackle and Layden Robinson at right guard, the Patriots decided to make a switch early in the half, moving Onwenu to guard to accommodate Simmons. Demontrey Jacobs then stepped in at right tackle.

“We felt we had to take on one of their best players,” Mayo said. “If you watch the film, you’ll notice that the inside of the bag was soft at times.”

Whether it's the blocking ability of the offensive line, the mentality of the running backs, the playcalling of the coaching staff or a combination of the three, the Patriots must find a way to get this part of their offense going.

“We all go out there and play hard,” Stevenson said. “I don't think that's a problem. That’s why I respect everyone on the team who goes out there and just gives their heart and soul.”

In Weeks 1 and 2, New England's running game paced the offense by an average of 177.5 yards. The team established its identity with a run-heavy, run-first system. But offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt moved away from the run in Week 3 and aside from the Week 5 loss to Miami, the performance has never been the same.

Stevenson, who averaged 4.62 yards per carry in Weeks 1-5, has averaged just 2.22 in the last three games. During that time, despite the struggles in the running game, Stevenson still showed big moments, pushing the ball over the goal line on fourth down in the final minute of the fourth quarter last week and then catching a 5-yard pass from a Maye struggling to score. to cap the wild game that forced overtime on Sunday.

The same cannot be said for the rest of the room. Gibson, who initially seemed like a relief, had rushed for just 10 yards on nine carries over the past three games. Hasty, who plays the smallest role of the trio, also had a fumble recovery to look forward to during his limited playing time on Sunday.

At the end of the first half, with the Patriots on their two-minute offense, New England ran the ball on a second-and-1 and third-and-1, but was unable to convert on either play. Hasty was stuffed and Stevenson lost a yard. The offense stalled and the team had to punt.

“It can get frustrating, especially when we lose,” Stevenson said. “If we won I wouldn’t be so frustrated, but when you put the two together it’s very frustrating.”

Even though Maye is the team's leading runner, Van Pelt doesn't want to call any “designed runs” because he knows the rookie will have plenty of running opportunities with his scrambling skills.

And such plays come with risk, even if they are central to Maye's game.

Last week, Maye suffered a helmet-to-helmet blow that left him with a concussion. He was able to practice on a limited basis throughout the week before medical professionals cleared him for Saturday's game. Maye won't change his style of play. The Patriots don't necessarily want that either. So it's up to both the player and the team to protect Maye.

“I’m not going to change the player I am,” Maye said. “Once I pass the protocol and get cleared, I will be the player. If they let guys out and there's some rush lanes up front, I'll make them pay. That’s my attitude.”

However, the Patriots know they need more production on the ground, not only to have a more balanced offense, but also to protect their quarterback.

Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @nicolecyang.