Could Boutte be having a breakout campaign this season? He seems to be on the rise and has the background to continue to improve. @d9sepulveda18

I’d like to think so, but Boutte still only has 11 catches for 185 yards this season, so he’ll have to pick up the production to qualify for a true breakout season. The game against the Jets was a good learning experience for him. In the past drops like he had early in the game might’ve landed him on the bench, but he was allowed to fight through it and had important catches on both of the final two scoring drives. It was strange to see Boutte have those drops.

His hands been the most impressive thing to me about his game, so it was good he was allowed to work through some uncharacteristic struggles instead of getting rotated out for someone else. That patience from the coaching staff paid off. The growing part of Boutte’s game that impresses meis his ability to shake loose in man coverage and we saw it on his big 34-yard catch and even on some of his drops. He’s got good speed and a nice burst that helps him create consistent separation. Hopefully, Maye can get back on the field soon and continue to develop a rapport with Boutte. That seems like a good formula to help him on the path toward a breakout campaign. -Mike Dussault

Patriots very obviously need a WR upgrade. If Tee Higgins becomes available at the deadline, does it make sense to part ways with a 2025 2nd and maybe something in 2025? Might be the closest the Bengals get to a 1st for Tee. @RickJuan3

Nope. Just be patient until the offseason. Higgins has been battling injury all season long, playing just five games, and though it looks like the Bengals could choose to move on from him now that their season is spiraling away, I’m personally moving away from coveting everyone else’s 1A or 1B receivers. None of the receivers the Patriots have been connected to in recent seasons have done all that much this season. Granted Aiyuk and Higgins have been injured, but Calvin Ridley and Deandre Hopkins didn’t accelerate the growth of the Titans young quarterback and now Hopkins is in Kansas City. I want to move away the constant push to go overboard to land a receiver who had their best production for someone else. I refuse to believe that’s the only way to get to the promised land. I want to draft and develop receivers. There are fast, game-changing ones available across the first two days of every draft in recent memory. Give me the Green Bay approach where they’ve been stacking weapons around Jordan Love every season. They don’t have a classic number one, but I’d rather try to develop a guy like Christian Watson and have his development be part of the fabric of the team’s growth than wait to add a big ego to a young team at top dollar and hoping it all translates. Give me another Day 2 receiver next year with some speed and just keep stacking. Draft, develop, retain. Fill key holes in free agency with players coming off their first contracts. Add veteran free agents for leadership when necessary. But don’t expect to create a consistently contending team on free agent vets and trades, and stop chasing everyone else’s best players. -Mike Dussault

If Drake is out for this week against Tennessee and Brissett leads the team to their third win, do the Pats rush Drake back or give him some extra time to get healthy? Maybe have the same line rotation from vs. Jets continue to play together before Maye comes back. @wolffe33

I think Drake goes back in as soon as Drake is ready to go back in. Jacoby certainly gives the team a good chance to beat Tennessee, but the future is now and there are only nine games left to get Maye as much experience as possible. His growth from his first start to his second was remarkable, but we didn’t get enough of a sample size against the Jets to judge how he continued to progress. Certainly, his running ability stood out early on which could be a good thing if you’re looking for examples of his athleticism, or a bad thing if you were hoping he could continue to execute the offense as it’s designed to be executed. The bottom line is I don’t think they can go chasing wins at the cost of Drake’s development. D

rake getting reps is more important than wins in my opinion, though wins sure help the process and earn buy-in from the team. Perhaps the greatest bonus is if the offensive line rolls out the same starting five again next week. That continuity can only help the offense. They just have to find a way to get the running game going. -Mike Dussault

Hi Deuce! The issues the WRs had with drops, do you believe this is something they can easily turn around? Does it concern you the levels of their off field chatter and on field problems? @clazzyclare

It’s funny how the win overshadows a disappointing performance by the receiver group, especially coming on the heels of the group being under fire in recent weeks. The drops would’ve been a much bigger story, really if only Boutte didn’t catch the three balls he caught down the stretch. Those catches made up for the earlier lack of finish from him, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton. So all that said, I’m not too worried about the drops. First, as mentioned above, if Boutte can do one thing it’s make tough hands catches and I think having those early drops and overcoming them to help deliver the win is almost better than if he’d just caught everything all game long. He pushed through adversity and earned back any small sliver of trust he might’ve lost in the game. I expect Bourne is just a game or two away from getting back to his usual self. Any player coming off a major knee injury needs some time to get back up to speed and sometimes the rustiness from a long layoff can translate into drops. Had the team not gotten the win there’d be more heat on the receivers, but they came through in the end and that is something to build off. -Mike Dussault

Trade deadline moves? @TheGreensMaster

With the team trading Joshua Uche to the Chiefs, the trade deadline moves have begun but I wonder if there’s really a need to make any additions at this point. The offensive line appears to be as healthy as they’ve been all season and finally settling in on a consistent starting five. There’s good healthy depth across the rest of the roster, but two places I might consider adding is at the linebacker and edge spots. I’m cautious about that though coming off a strong performance from Christian Elliss who made some nice plays that the team had been lacking at the linebacker position in recent weeks. There aren’t a lot of game changers out there on the street as you might expect but those two positions are thin without much backup depth on the practice squad.Otherwise, save assets and let the young guys play. -Mike Dussault

Being 2-6 hasn’t been fun but when I compare the Pats situation to the other one- and two-win teams, the situation could be worse. The Raiders, Panthers, Titans, Browns and Giants aren’t happy with their quarterback situation. The Jets, Dolphins, Saints, Jaguars and Browns thought they were contenders and have been huge disappointments. Pats have a quarterback and a ton of cap space so I see a clearer path back to respectability. Your thoughts? -Robert Naegele

That’s the spirit! Obviously all those teams have some combination of pieces in place despite their records, so each will have to chart a different path into the offseason. For instance, the Jets have some young studs like Sauce and Wilson, but their offensive line and quarterback look like they have one foot out of the league. What about the Jags? It’s hard to find a glaring roster hole on their team, so maybe they’re a team that only looks at a coaching change. Ultimately everyone is looking at the quarterback situation first and foremost and at this moment the Pats are in a perfect spot. Not because Drake Maye is perfect but because his sample size is so small and promising we can all just look forward with optimism. However that outlook has already gotten slightly more complicated with his concussion this past game. But for the most part, it appears the Pats have the QB and CB boxes checked off with Maye and Gonzalez. Now it’s time to fill the three other premiere positions… wide receiver, edge rusher and tackle. They should have the money and draft capital to get at least two of those spots filled in 2025. -Mike Dussault

Are you starting a Coach Mayo game day attire log? @Ryong901

I haven’t yet, but after he’s worn short-sleeved hoodies the last couple weeks I’m a bit intrigued… -Mike Dussault

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