Though it was seemingly unintentional, one of Bill Belichick's responses to a question about his wide receivers was very telling.
The New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-14, on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, avoiding their first 0-2 start since 2001. A big part of that win was Nelson Agholor, who finished the day with six catches for 110 yards and an acrobatic touchdown catch. The performance was Agholor's best as a Patriot, which led to a smattering of questions about the 29-year-old in Belichick's postgame press conference. One response, however, spoke volumes about a different Patriots wideout.
"He's been good all year. I mean, I don't think you want to judge guys off one play or one game," Belichick said, per a team provided transcript. "He got a lot of snaps and he's been, really, one of our more consistent guys all year."
While that statement could -- and probably should -- come off as an endorsement of Agholor, one can't help but think of wide receiver Kendrick Bourne whenever snap counts are brought up regarding New England's receiving corps.
Bourne, who has three catches for 57 yards so far this season, has struggled to find reps throughout the summer and into the early portion of the season. Playing a total of 24 reps between games in Miami and Pittsburgh, many have wondered what has gone into the diminished playing time after the 27-year-old set career highs in catches (55) and yards (800) in 2021. Those questions have partly been answered by reports suggesting a rift between Bourne and Patriots offensive play caller Matt Patricia, but the more realistic version of the story could be what Belichick was talking about Sunday afternoon.
Agholor's consistency has earned him time on the field, and that's something the Patriots reportedly haven't seen from Bourne amid the change of their offensive identity following the departure of Josh McDaniels. On the list of Mac Jones' top pass catchers during training camp, Bourne charted well below players like Tre Nixon, Kristian Wilkerson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey -- none of whom made New England's initial 53-man roster.
The veteran has continued to say all the right things since his demotion within the system, but it seems the more beneficial thing for him to do if he wants more playing time is show the consistency that Belichick and the Patriots' offensive brass seem to be looking for.
