Patriots: N’Keal Harry needs another big game vs Raiders to silence doubters

Patriots WR N’Keal Harry could use another good performance against the Raiders.

The doubters were out in full force last week after N’Keal Harry finally played the part of a first-round pick. The New England Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks, but the former Arizona State Sun Devil hauled in eight catches for 72 yards and held on to a couple of those in some serious traffic — one of which was an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit.

Fans were excited for Harry’s breakout game (it was by far the best of his career to this point) but doubters were quick to fire back and throw cold water on the performance. And it’s not like they didn’t have good points.

Whatever the case, that’s not stopping Cam Newton from showing support for his young wideout.

Harry, though he did make some great plays, pretty much did the work required of a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver. When you consider his production against the Seahawks’ league-worst pass defense (831 yards allowed in the first two games) and the fact Newton threw the ball 44 times vs just 25 rushes, a pessimist would say, “Well, that’s what Harry’s supposed to do.”

But this is different. Harry’s relationship with Newton is already blossoming, compared to his non-existent bond with Tom Brady in 2019. The wideout was injured to start off last season, but he managed just 12 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven games on a Patriots offense that was seriously lacking weapons.

Now, Harry’s already got 13 catches for 111 yards with Newton as his QB in 2020, and if not for a fumble at the goal line, he’d have an extra yard and a touchdown. That’s already a marked improvement from last year, so yeah, there’s plenty of optimism to go around.

And his teammates keep talking about the progress he’s made! You don’t think that’s a sign? Coming into a season fully healthy knowing that you’re going to be a key component of the offense is much more helpful from a mental standpoint than entering one injured with your team facing more questions than answers.

Another big week for Harry against the Raiders should do the trick in silencing the doubters. That’d be three straight productive weeks to kick off the 2020 season and enough to convince more fans and analysts that his emergence is legitimate.

Patriots: N’Keal Harry defends Tom Brady against recent criticism

New England Patriots second-year wideout N'Keal Harry doesn't think Cam Newton's efforts should diminish Tom Brady's tutoring.