Kayshon Boutte’s lack of usage against the Buffalo Bills was among many head-scratchers for the New England Patriots in their crushing 35-31 defeat.
Boutte, the Patriots’ best wideout this season other than Stefon Diggs, was targeted just once in Week 15. The lone target came early in the opening quarter, and the 2023 sixth-round draft pick made a beautiful diving grab for a 30-yard gain.
That kind of play has been a common occurrence when Drake Maye has looked Boutte’s way this year. Boutte ranks second among Pats wideouts in yards (511) and first in touchdowns (six) despite being targeted only 39 times (fourth among New England’s receivers).
On the latest episode of Quick Slants, NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots insider Tom E. Curran argued for more Boutte targets in the coming weeks as the Patriots prepare for playoff football.
“Kayshon Boutte needs to see the ball more than once a game,” Curran said. “There’s one guy who makes every single contested catch every time he’s targeted, and he sees one target a game. Last week, one target, makes a ridiculous diving catch. Against Miami, one target, he makes a ridiculous diving catch.
“Kayshon Boutte needs the football more frequently, and I’d be interested to see if they start to tailor some of his routes on the underneath and intermediate against Baltimore to try and get him the ball because he is a great contested-catch player.”
In fairness, Sunday’s loss to Buffalo was lackluster all around for the Pats’ receiving corps. Mack Hollins (four targets) and Diggs (three) were the only other wideouts who caught passes from Maye.
Nonetheless, getting Boutte more involved seems like a no-brainer. The 23-year-old has made plenty of impactful plays for New England this season, particularly during a three-week stretch in October when he totaled 191 yards and four TDs. He added another TD in the Patriots’ Week 14 win over the New York Giants.
New England should feed Boutte this Sunday night when it visits the Baltimore Ravens. From there, he should be a key part of the offense as the Patriots head toward their first postseason berth since 2021.
