There weren't many, if any, positives in Thursday's 24-3 loss for the Patriots against the Rams Thursday night, but N'Keal Harry's usage is worth watching.
The Patriots offense used him a little differently than in the past, as he was given a chance to make plays on a few contested catches, which is what he was known for at Arizona State and made him a first-round pick.
Harry finished with three catches on four targets for a team-high 49 yards, 30 of which came when he beat cornerback Troy Hill on a deep route up the sideline and made the catch on a jump ball early in the third quarter. A few plays later, Harry appeared to beat his man up the sideline and was held, but a flag was not thrown.
“Just a ball that was up in the air and I went and got it,” Harry said when asked about the 30-yard catch. “Simple as that. … I pride myself on those 50/50 balls. Whenever a ball like that is in the air, I expect myself to come down with it 10 times out of 10.”
During his year-plus with the Patriots, the team hasn't really given him a chance to run down the field and make those contested catches.
Is this something he would want to do more of?
“That’s not up to me,” Harry said. “My job is to go out there every day and compete and get better and let the coaches handle that.”
Over the last three games it will be interesting to watch how Harry is used and if the team allows him to run more routes down the field and give him a chance to make plays.
