The New England Patriots have been among the best teams in the entire league this season in what has been a remarkable turnaround for the franchise. As the Buffalo Bills have stuttered, they have been right there to take over the AFC East with consistently excellent performances.
After a Week 12 loss for the Bills, the Patriots had a golden opportunity to increase their lead as they faced the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, the first half went disastrously as they had one of their worst showings of the entire season. Moreover, they also got an underwhelming performance from standout wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
What Happened to Kayshon Boutte?
Trailing by 10-0, the only real stat that New England registered was a Drake Maye interception that further increased the lead for the Bengals, as they took it back into the end zone.
It also served as a microcosm for an offense that looked uninspired and lifeless the entire night. Boutte, who’d become a favorite for Maye to target, particularly with long-range bombs, was nowhere to be seen.
As he went untargeted on 10 passing attempts, the scoreboard told the entire story in this one. A hamstring injury had kept Boutte out of the lineup for the past two weeks. As a result, his return against Cincinnati was supposed to be another point in the Patriots’ favor.
With Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase out for the Bengals, it looked like another major advantage for New England. Then, a pick-six in their favor allowed them to come back in the game.
Unfortunately, the story for Boutte remained unchanged. Even as the team built a 17-13 lead thanks to a Hunter Henry touchdown, he was uninvolved in the game plan entirely.
Ranked seventh on PFSN’s WR Impact, he had been a remarkable success story for the Patriots, particularly after finishing 59th in 2024. That uptick in ranking was backed by his production, as he tallied 431 receiving yards and five touchdowns on an absurd 18.7 yards per reception.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.Â
