Pats Pulpit
Bourne played 36 snaps after getting benched last week.
After being benched last week, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was reinserted into the New England Patriots lineup on Sunday.
His presence was quickly felt, as Bourne tallied a catch on the first offensive play of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I appreciate the coaches for keeping on believing in me. It was a tough situation, but that says a lot about how they’re approaching it,’ Bourne said post game. “They’re doing their job. Shoutout to the coaches. That’s what they have to do. They have to make tough decisions.
“It’s not easy running a team. I’m just a player on the team. I couldn’t imagine what they talk about, and what they go through up there. I’m just thankful that they still believe in me.”
Bourne rewarded his coaches belief throughout the day. Playing 36 total snaps, Bourne snagged all five of his targets for a team-high 70 receiving yards. After a lack of production over his first five games of the season — playing a role in the limited role last week — the 70 yards matched his season total.
“Just working. If my coaches see something, I might not see it. They evaluate, they watch us every day. Honestly speaking, I could have played better,” he said. “My coaches’ job is to make me get better, so whatever they have to do to make me get better, that’s how I have to approach it. That’s what happened. I came back to work, focused through the week, and had a good game. At the end of the day, we didn’t win, so it’s not good enough.”
The veteran also caught the first touchdown of the day on a 10-yard reception from Drake Maye to give New England an early lead.
“I think his attitude is always the same,” Maye said. “KB has got great energy, and that’s the one thing about him. He’s going to come in, day in, day out with a smile on his face, and I think it’s a testament to him for not getting probably what he wanted last week and coming out here and making some big plays for us.”
Bourne’s day was still not enough to help New England prevail, as they dropped their eighth game of the season 28-22 to the Los Angeles Rams.
The attention now turns to next week, where Bourne should again be heavily involved in a wide receiver room that’s now down to six players after the release of Tyquan Thornton on Saturday.
“Proud of the team and the way we fought. Like you were saying, we want the end result. That’s all it’s about,” Bourne said. “Personally, just working. Just working. Coming to work, doing what I have to do to get better and help my team win. I had a good week. I think we all had a good week. That gives us a chance to win.
“We all had the same approach, so I’m...
