FOXBORO, Mass. — More than speed, agility, hands or size, the most important quality a New England Patriots wide receiver can possess is the mental aptitude to be on the same page as Tom Brady.
Chris Hogan and Brady not only were on the same page, they were reading the same line on a 79-yard catch-and-run touchdown Monday night in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
“It was something where I had the option of going to the corner or the middle of the field, and we saw the same thing,” Hogan said. “Tom made a great throw, and I think it was the time and the point in the game where we needed someone to step up and make a play. I was just happy I was able to do that for this team.”
Hogan, in his first season with the Patriots, has made the most of his opportunities. He has just 32 catches, but he’s averaging 19.2 yards per catch, emerging as the kind of deep threat the Patriots have lacked for years. Hogan has seven receptions on deep passes this season, and three have resulted in touchdowns.
Building chemistry with Brady has been a season-long quest.
“It’s something we work on week in and week out,” Hogan said. “That just goes back to our practicing and watching film. We were able to be on the same page at that particular moment, which was great, because we needed it.”
A Patriots receiver typically has multiple options on any passing play, depending on the opposing defense’s coverage. When a receiver and Brady are in sync, 79-yard touchdowns occur.
“Yeah, he made a great play,” Brady said. “It was off a run fake. Hoges and I â he was just kind of, not really the primary receiver on that play, but he saw what I saw and kind of adjusted his route, and I just tried to put it out there for him.
“It was a big play. We needed it.”
If momentum in football exists, the play swung it back in the Patriots’ direction after they had allowed 17 unanswered points.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
