Patriots WRs Have Quiet Game in Week 15 Loss

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The game started with an impressive diving grab from Kayshon Boutte. As the afternoon progressed, Mack Hollins added a few grabs against his former team. Other than some bursts, the New England Patriots' wide receivers didn't make much of an impact in their deflating loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.
Hollins was the team's leading receiver with four grabs for 41 yards. It was tough sledding for the rest of the receiving corps, as two others caught passes (Boutte and Stefon Diggs). Boutte's opening catch was for 30 yards, but that remained his lone impact. Diggs was only on the receiving end of three catches for 26 yards, which was good for fourth-most by any player.
All four of the Patriots' touchdowns came on the ground. Quarterback Drake Maye accounted for the team's first two scores, using his legs to extend plays in the red zone. After Maye found paydirt twice, it was TreVeyon Henderson's turn to score. Henderson scampered his way for touchdowns of 52 and 65 yards.
"You can't have a lull on the mental side of it and the physical side of it," Diggs said postgame. "When you're playing a team like that, they play from behind. They're used to playing from behind, fighting back and clawing. They've been together for some years now, and they've led this division for a while. So, in order to get over that hump, play 60-minute football and execute at a higher level."
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Maye looked like he was consistently off with his pass catchers in the second half. DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams were both held without a catch, and six of Maye's 14 completions went to either a running back or tight end.

The Patriots couldn't muster up any deep balls, something they had used to their advantage all season. On a long pass to Hollins, a play that could have resulted in a defensive pass interference by Tre'Davious White went uncalled and Maye was credited with his first interception.
Other drives included punting from their own side of the field, and not converting on a late fourth down that ultimately lost the game.
"I thought, when the limited opportunities that they had, today we hit a bunch of big plays," head coach Mike Vrabel said. "So, then the drive that we needed our offense to get, I was confident, and I thought for sure that we'd take that football and go down and score a touchdown. And we just weren't able to. That's why I went for it."
The Patriots will try to get their wide receivers more involved when they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens under the primetime lights next week.

Ethan Hurwitz is a writer for Patriots on SI. He works to find out-of-the-box stories that change the way you look at sports. He’s covered the behind-the-scenes discussions behind Ivy League football, how a stuffed animal helped a softball team’s playoff chances and tracked down a fan who caught a historic hockey stick. Ethan graduated from Quinnipiac University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s sports coverage for almost three years.
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