FOXBORO, Mass. — Many of N’Keal Harry’s most memorable collegiate highlights involved him catching a short pass and using his size, power and momentum to muscle his way through a web of defenders.
New England Patriots fans got a taste of those talents last Sunday.
During the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 23-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Harry went in motion, caught a pass from Tom Brady near the line of scrimmage and shrugged off three tackles en route to what should have been the second touchdown of his young NFL career.
Officials incorrectly ruled the rookie wide receiver had stepped out of bounds at the 3-yard line, with replays clearly showing his foot never touched the line.
The show goes on??♂️? #ontocincinnati pic.twitter.com/Ik5OcTfdu5
— Keal (@NkealHarry15) December 9, 2019
Harry was on the field just two offensive snaps against Kansas City, but his highlight-reel catch-and-run served as a confidence-booster for a player who’s clearly still adjusting to the NFL game.
“Yeah, definitely,” Harry said when asked whether he was encouraged by his performance on that play. “Because it kind of felt like some of the stuff that I did in college — just getting the ball in my hand and being able to run with it. So that definitely helped, just seeing that I’m still able to do the same things.”
The Patriots want to see more plays like that from their 2019 first-round draft pick. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said earlier this week he needs to do a better job of finding ways to get Harry the ball in space.
“He’s a big guy that’s not easy to get to the ground,” McDaniels said. “So certainly, when you have players like that, it comes back to, ‘How can you get him the football in those situations?’ ”
Since returning from injured reserve, Harry, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, has five catches on 10 targets for 40 yards and one touchdown in four games.
The Arizona State product took on a heavy workload in his first two games — playing 43 percent of offensive snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles in his NFL debut and 81 percent for a banged-up Patriots receiving corps the following week — but has played just two of the team’s last 128 offensive snaps since being beaten for an interception early in New England’s Week 13 loss to the Houston Texans.
“I just want to do anything I can to help the team win and do my part and contribute,” Harry said. “… The way I look at it, when I get on that field, no matter if it’s 50 snaps or one snap, whenever my name is called, I have to be able to contribute.”
Harry has been listed on the Patriots’ injury report with a hip ailment this week but has been a full participant in practice ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
