Patriots Have Message For Struggling Rookie After Another No-Show Performance

It’s never a good look when an offensive lineman gets more targets than one of your wide receivers.

But that’s the predicament New England Patriots wideout Ja’Lynn Polk found himself in Sunday.

Polk’s turbulent rookie season continued in a 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium as the second-round pick didn’t see one pass from quarterback Drake Maye come his way. Eight other pass-catchers recorded at least one catch for the Patriots, including offensive tackle Vederian Lowe coming up with a 4-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.

Polk also committed a false start penalty late in the fourth quarter with the offense on the field for a fourth down deep in Rams territory.

Things obviously have yet to go Polk’s way, and his Patriots teammates passed on advice to him in trying to make sure he doesn’t lose hope about turning his season and young career around.

“I think just keep going,” Maye told reporters, per team-provided video. “I think he’s going to be a great player in this league. He’s a rookie like myself. We’re going to have some good games as Patriots together. Looking forward to keeping him going, and I think he’s getting thrown in there at different times and thrown in there to block some. So, I think he’s going to pick up some little things. But he’s a great player, and need to find a way to get him the football.”

Polk has just 11 receptions for 80 yards in 10 games this season. The bright spot? He somehow leads all Patriots receivers with two touchdown catches, including one that came in New England’s recent road win over the Chicago Bears.

While Polk’s production leaves a tremendous amount to be desired, it’s still more than what the Patriots have received from fourth-round pick Javon Baker. Baker still doesn’t have an NFL catch to his name as he rarely has been in the offensive huddle. Baker’s best chance to touch the ball comes as a kickoff returner.

“I think it’s important to remember those guys are rookies, and sometimes the expectation is that they’re just going to come in here and be All-Pros. That’s not it,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters, per team-provided video. “Those guys, they work every day and at some point they’ll hit an inflection point where they can help our team win.”

Kendrick Bourne, the veteran in the wide receiver room, echoed a similar message as Maye to Polk. Bourne knows how quickly things can change in the NFL and pointed to himself as an example. Bourne was benched last week against the Bears before turning in five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.

“It’s tough,” Bourne said. “Adversity it hits. I was down last week, but just keep going. That’s kind of what you encourage him. Just keep going. You never know what play is going to change your career. You never know what the future holds, so don’t hold onto bad things for too long. It’s not easy to do, but that’s kind of just the words of encouragement.”