Tom Brady all season has been reluctant to praise the New England Patriots’ rookie wide receivers.
He had no such misgivings Monday morning.
One day after N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers both played key roles in the Patriots’ 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium, Brady applauded the young wideouts during an interview with WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show.”
“I think both those rookie receivers really answered the call,” Brady said. “When you’re put in that position and you don’t have a lot of football under your belt and you’re playing on a team that is competing for titles and so forth, there’s a lot of pressure. Both those guys have embraced it, and I think Julian (Edelman) has really shown great leadership for that whole group. Hopefully, if we can get everyone healthy, we can see what we can do.”
With Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and Phillip Dorsett (concussion) both inactive, Harry and Meyers played 57 and 54 of the Patriots’ 70 offensive snaps, respectively.
Harry, the first-round draft pick who made his NFL debut last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, provided the game’s lone touchdown, elevating around cornerback Byron Jones to haul in a back-shoulder throw from Brady late in the first quarter. The 10-yard score came two plays after a blocked punt by Matthew Slater gave New England prime field position.
OK, @NkealHarry15. #DALvsNE | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/1OA6obWHkU
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2019
It was Harry’s lone catch on four targets in the victory.
“We were banged up with Phillip and Mohamed, and it just looked like those guys were going to have to play a lot,” Brady said on WEEI. “Rather than feeling like, ‘Oh man, I haven’t played much and I’ll be a little worried going out there,’ he really approached it like he had been there all season. He made a lot of good plays in practice and improved on things that he had done and were corrected. I really love N’Keal’s attitude. Jakobi did a great job, too.”
Meyers caught four passes on seven targets for a career-high 74 yards, including an impressive 32-yard catch-and-run and 9- and 23-yard pickups that moved the chains on third down. He and Harry also each dropped passes apiece amid wet and windy weather conditions.
? Jakobi. @jkbmyrs5 | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/G3h5S3ROGP
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2019
Meyers, an undrafted rookie, is the only Patriots wideout who has not appeared on the injury report this season. He’s played in 10 of New England’s 11 games, his lone DNP coming in the form of a healthy scratch back in Week 2.
“He’s done a great job,” Brady said on WEEI. “To come in as an undrafted free agent and make the plays that he made all spring and then make the plays that he’s made this season — I think it’s been so impressive. I can’t say enough good things about Jakobi. He cares deeply about doing the right thing, and you love to have teammates like that.
“I am so happy for him and the opportunities he’s getting. He wants to do a great job. He wants to do everything right. He holds himself to a high standard. It’s great to have him out there and great to see him doing good things for us.”
