Bourne On Christmas Eve: Patriots Rallying vs. Bengals; WATCH
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots offense came to life with less than one quarter remaining in regulation of their Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Rookie cornerback Marcus Jones created some holiday magic on Christmas Eve by intercepting Bengals Joe Burrow as he attempted to find receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Jones returned the pick 69 yards for the touchdown to put the Pats on the board, and trailing Cincinnati 22-6.
After New England’s forced its first three-and-out for Cincinnati’s offense of the afternoon, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones led his team on an 11-play, 77-yard drive, highlighted by three big-yardage gains from receiver Kendrick Bourne. Despite his season being wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma, Bourne made his presence felt by hauling in two catches for 19 and 32 yards respectively. The Jones-Bourne connection capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown, the wideout’s first scoring grab of the season.
After a failed attempt for a two-point conversion, New England trailed 22-12 into the fourth quarter.
Heading into his second season with the club, Bourne was expected to use his widespread skill set to enhance his role in New England’s offense. Obviously, that has not been the case.
Entering Saturday’s matchup, the 27-year-old Bourne has seen a 10 percent reduction in playing time. In the process, he has been targeted just 32 times, catching 24 passes for 270 yards and no touchdowns.
While it has been rumored that Bourne’s apparent demotion stems from a disconnect with the Pats’ offensive coaching staff, it is hard to believe a player with his talent and potential had been kept off the field merely for punitive reasons.
Regardless of the reason, few would argue that the Patriots' offense would function a bit more smoothly with Bourne aligning both on the permitter and in the slot.
It certainly did on the Patriots third offensive drive of the second half.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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