Patriots WR confirms disappointing rumors that led to team's demise vs. Jaguars

Going into their Week 7 matchup with the Jaguars, there was some optimism the Patriots would be able to get the job done against a team that appeared to be in a worse position than they were.

Despite not being favored in any metric and not having any solid performances to really bring on the positivity, Drake Maye's insertion into the offense provided a spark that they had been missing, therefore giving fans a smidge of belief that they could finally add another win to their season.

That was quickly erased after the Patriots' first two offensive drives, when they were able to go up over the Jaguars 10-0 going into the second quarter. Besides the nearly invisible defense that couldn't stop an underperforming Jacksonville offense, Patriots receivers were struggling, one of whom was ruled out eventually due to an illness.

It prompted plenty of rumors regarding what some of the younger players might have been up to the night before their big international game, but until Thursday, it was all just assumptions. Then we heard from Kendrick Bourne, who revealed the truth of the matter despite not explicitly saying exactly what happened.

Kendrick Bourne's bombshell about Patriots receivers is nothing short of disappointing

The speculation about Douglas' upset stomach, as he was dealing with alleged food poisoning, continued since the Patriots embarrassing loss, especially since rookie Javon Baker had been on the inactives report for dealing with similar issues.

Although Douglas' sporadic absence from the game wasn't the main reason the team lost in London, it was a significant hint to offensive production, especially since the chemistry between him and Maye had been noticeable the week before.

Bourne seemed to confirm the suspicions about a group of younger players going out to experience the London nightlife the night before the game with a story he told reporters from MassLive on Thursday. He relayed what he learned from a previous incident when he was a younger player in the league during his days with the 49ers and hopes that knowledge will help his teammates make better decisions that won't directly impact the team.

“I have a story in San Fran. We went to the Super Bowl. We were going out all week and we ended up losing the Super Bowl. So, OK, we made the decision to go out. We made these decisions and we go to the football game and we lose. Not that, that’s the reason we lost, but the decisions we make during the week to get ready, to get locked in, and focus effect our end result. So going out overseas, we have to be locked in. I’m not trying to point nobody out, but it’s just we have to focus on what matters. You can go out, but what really matters while we’re here?”

It's a disappointing development from what very well could have been just an unfortunate case of poorly timed food poisoning. The latest unfavorable situation to come out of the season for the Patriots was completely avoidable and unnecessary, adding even more doubt to the fitness of Jerod Mayo and the new regime.

It is certainly a lesson that the younger players need to learn, even more so when they're as vital to the team as Douglas has been for the offense since last season. It would be wise of them to listen to a veteran like Bourne, who has plenty of experience, good and bad, in this league and knows what he's talking about.

On top of that, he's spent the last three years in New England during their worst time in over two decades and has had to deal with a lot of adversity that he hadn't previously.

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