Patriots receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is in concussion protocol
FOXBORO -- Patriots receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is in concussion protocol, New England head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed Wednesday. That puts the rookie's status in doubt for Sunday's game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
Polk suffered a head injury in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, which is another setback after a disappointing start to his pro career. He played 34 snaps in the 32-16 loss, but did not catch any of the three passes that Drake Maye sent his way. Polk also slipped on a two-point conversion attempt by the Patriots, which led to Maye's pass falling incomplete.
Polk appeared to voice some frustration on social media after the loss, which was his first zero-catch game of the season. But the second-round pick out of Washington has struggled to bring in catches, with just 10 receptions on 26 targets. He has just 78 receiving yards and one touchdown through his first seven NFL games.
Drake Maye continues to pump up Ja'Lynn Polk
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has enjoyed success over his first two starts for the Patriots, and on Wednesday he voiced confidence that Polk will be able to turn things around. Maye said it's his job to continue to pump up the receiver's confidence.
"I think that's the biggest thing you can do, especially for a guy coming in the same class. I'm a first-round pick, he's a second-round pick. We built a connection early during camp and during the summer, I felt like we had it going," Maye said Wednesday.
"I think he's still finding it, still working together. It was our only second game together. I felt like we both left some plays out there," added Maye. "Me, ball placement-wise, and I feel like he'd like to have some plays back. I think it's about building the comradery. I don't think it's a matter of if, I think it's a matter of when."
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Jets clash on WBZ-TV -- your flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage kicks off Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. (which you can also stream on CBSBoston.com), and switch to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!