New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne reportedly suffered a torn ACL against the Miami Dolphins this past weekend.
#Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL, source says. Frustrating end to a promising season for the veteran receiver.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 30, 2023
Bourne racked up 36 receiving yards — the most of any Patriots receiver — on three receptions and added one receiving touchdown on Sunday in a 31-17 loss to the Dolphins. The defeat marked New England’s third road loss of the 2023 regular season.
Conversely, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle finished with the most receiving yards for the Dolphins with 121, and his longest reception went for 31 yards. He scored a touchdown on that play to help his squad pull away from the Patriots.
Before playing in the NFL, Bourne had a successful college football career at Eastern Washington University.
The veteran is in his third season as a member of the storied Patriots franchise after spending the first four seasons of his pro career with the San Francisco 49ers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2017.
He had been enjoying one of the best years of his career this season, with 406 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns and 15 first downs receiving in eight games played with the Patriots (five starts). He’ll finish the season with a career-high 50.8 receiving yards per game.
Bourne debatably had a better 2023 season than 2022 season despite playing in half as many games.
The 28-year-old wide receiver accumulated 434 receiving yards, 22 first downs receiving and one receiving touchdown across 16 appearances with New England in the 2022 season (two starts). In the process, he averaged 27.1 receiving yards per game, a far cry from his average of 50.8 receiving yards per game this season.
It’s unfortunate that arguably the best season of Bourne’s NFL career has been cut short due to an ACL injury. It’s another blow for New England amid the team’s tough season.
Mac Jones and the Patriots will face off against the Washington Commanders at home on Nov. 5. The Commanders own a 3-5 record on the season — including a 2-2 road record — and are riding a two-game losing streak.
