Patriots Wideout Openly Questions Offensive Play-Calling

Kayshon Boutte didn’t like the approach.

The Patriots wide receiver openly criticized the game-plan and decision-making of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt after New England suffered a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

“We knew they was gonna play man the whole game,” Boutte told the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. “But I feel like it’s disrespectful when they go man first quarter, you know? So I feel like we need to be better at attacking that instead of being shy about it.”

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New England had success through the air early on, their first two completions at the line of scrimmaged turning into first downs. But the Patriots rarely looked to push the ball downfield with 195 total passing yards on 23 attempts (7.8 yards per pass). And the vast majority of those contributions came in the fourth quarter after the visitors trailed 23-3 with 11 minutes left.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and wide receiver DeMario Douglas both indicated after the game they would like to see more up-tempo and aggressiveness.

“When we move that ball and it’s tempo, we’re different,” Douglas told reporters.

Boutte wasn’t the only one to send a shot across the bow at Van Pelt, though. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo seemed to have his own critique of Van Pelt after the game.