FOXBORO — Nothing went well for the New England Patriots in their 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday. The running game, down TreVeyon Henderson, didn't amount to much either.

Despite having their running back trio run for 91 yards, the group of Rhamondre Stevenson, Corey Kiner and Lan Larison didn't impact the game in the way they might have been able to. Yes, Stevenson had some nice runs and found the end zone as a receiver, but this group continues to struggle.

Most of Kiner's rushing yards came deep into garbage time, well after the score had been out of hand and after Stevenson was ruled out with a knee injury. He'd score his first-career touchdown to make the score look a bit more respectable, but for all intents and purposes, it didn't work.

"He wasn't able to return," Mike Vrabel said postgame on Stevenson, who also fumbled the ball in the loss. "I'm not sure the extent of what it is. He just came off, so we'll take a look at it, and we'll see. I don't want to speculate right now."

The Patriots are going to have to get that part of their offense going at some point, and right now, there are question marks surrounding that group.

There Are Plenty Of Questions Regarding Patriots RBs

How will Stevenson respond this week after walking to the locker room injured? Will Henderson, who put out a statement about neurological issues he's dealing with, even return this year? Will a player on the trade block a la Derrick Henry or Jonathan Taylor find their way to New England in 48 hours?

There's a lot to figure out about this team right now as a whole, but the running game — one that's struggled a bunch all season — needs to find even footing.

Playoff teams, at least good playoff teams, rely on running the ball when the weather gets cold. It can't just be up to Drake Maye and his group of oft-injured, ragtag receivers every single game. Sooner or later, with or without Stevenson in the game, the Patriots are going to need and carry the rock 25-30 times a game with efficiency.

For most of Sunday, they couldn't do that against Green Bay.

"We lost, and we got our asses kicked. There's no two ways around it," Vrabel said. "We have to find ways to be balanced offensively."

Through nine games, the Patriots are averaging 4.1 yards per carry. Far from great.

Maybe the Patriots feel like they have to make a move for someone, especially if Stevenson isn't able to suit up in Germany next weekend. For now, considering the struggles that Maye displayed against the Packers, this running attack will become super important in these must-win games down the stretch.