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Bill O’Brien Confident Rookie Patriots Receiver Can Step Up, ‘I Believe in Him’

With Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne sidelined, the New England Patriots are going to need some serious help in replacing his production.

Bourne had been the club’s leading receiver by a significant margin prior to getting injured, having hauled in 37 passes for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns, well ahead of the club’s next closest player in Hunter Henry.

The veteran tight end has caught 23 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, but when it comes to the rest of the club’s pass catchers, it hasn’t even been close.

Neither JuJu Smith-Schuster or DeVante Parker have broken more than 160 yards for the season, with Smith-Schuster sitting on 15 catches for 89 yards and the touchdown he scored Sunday in Miami, while Parker has 15 catches of his own for 158 yards.