The New England Patriots need Ja'Lynn Polk to be a productive and consistent player for the team's offense to operate at full strength, and they haven't gotten that through seven games.
The rookie wide receiver, whom the Patriots took in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has had a couple rough games over the last few weeks.
He failed to complete what would've been a game-winning touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter of a Week 5 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Polk caught only one pass on four targets in a defeat to the Houston Texans in Week 6. He had zero catches and one drop on three targets -- not including a miscue on a two-point conversion attempt -- in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said after the Jaguars loss in London, “We need more from Polk. We need more concentration."
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How can the Patriots get Polk back on track?
Starting quarterback Drake Maye has a few ideas.
“I think just pump him up. I think that’s the biggest thing you can do — especially a guy coming in the same (draft) class, I’m first round, he’s the second-round pick," Maye told reporters Wednesday at a press conference. "We built a connection early during camp, and during summer I felt like we had it going.
"We're still working, it was only our second game together. I think we both left plays out there, me ball-placement wise and I'm sure he'd like to have some plays back himself. I think it's just building that camaraderie and I think we're going to get there. It's not a matter of if, but when."
Maye also showed his support for Polk with an Instagram story post Wednesday:
A show of support from Drake Maye for Ja’Lynn Polk pic.twitter.com/OmfzZ89XU2
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 23, 2024
Polk has tallied 10 receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown on 26 targets in seven games. He's a talented player and has shown flashes of exciting potential in training camp and early in the regular season. But the drops are a problem. The Patriots don't have a high-powered offense and cannot afford drive-ending drops.
They also just need more production from wideouts in general. Maye completed 26 passes against the Jaguars last week and only six of them went to wide receivers. No wideout on the team tallied more than two catches.
The next chance for Maye and Polk to continue building their chemistry is Sunday's matchup against the rival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. The Jets beat the Patriots 24-3 in Week 3, but that was in New York and Maye didn't start that game.
