Sunday was an emotional, full-circle moment for Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Growing up two hours away from the Superdome and playing college football at LSU, a Week 6 matchup against the Saints marked Boutte’s first professional game back in Louisiana.
“It was amazing coming back home, first time playing in the Superdome,” Boutte said. “Little emotional at first. It felt like a full-circle moment, first time I’ve been back playing [in Louisiana]. I think everything was cool but got comfortable
as we went on.”
It didn’t take long for Boutte to settle in back at home. With 40 friends and family in attendance (with tickets he paid for), the receiver was on the end of two downfield first-half touchdown passes from Drake Maye, fighting through contact on both plays.
“Boutte with a great play in the back of the end zone,” Drake Maye said of the first score. “Just trying to give him a chance on one-on-one. You know, one-on-one is open in this league and you got to know that.”
Though New England’s offense slowed down in the second-half, Boutte came through when they needed him the most.
On the final possession of the day, Boutte picked up an initial first down to get the drive on the move. Then, facing a 3rd-and-11 with a chance to ice the game, the 23-year-old hauled in a back-shoulder throw along the left sideline — getting down in bounds to seal the win.
“Press coverage, really had an out route converted to a fade. Just a big play in a big moment,” Boutte explained. “I knew I had it the whole way. Made sure to get my right foot down and put all my weight in my left foot so my knee hit the ground before I was out of bounds.”
“What a play by Boutte,” Maye added. “It felt right being back home for him.”
After recording a 100-yard game in the season opener, Boutte’s number had dipped in recent weeks as targets were spread around. Still, he’s made key plays when they’ve mattered most — including a 19-yard grab that helped set up last week’s game-winning field goal in Buffalo.
“You can only control what you can control,” Boutte said. “If you whine too much about not getting opportunities, sometimes when the ball comes your way you’re not going to make the play. It’s really just about being dialed in throughout the whole game because at any given moment the ball is yours.”
That maturity is exactly what head coach Mike Vrabel is looking for from his receivers.
“I think he’s just gotten better. His demeanor — never too up, never too down,” Vrabel said. “Sometimes the ball finds him and he makes the plays, and when it doesn’t, he just kind of understands it wasn’t his snap.
“To take a good hit and score and then come up with a huge play there at the end that really went in their and won the game for us on third-down, I think you see the confidence Drake has in him… I hope he can enjoy this for a few minutes with his family and anyone that was around here. Just a big play for him.”