Nick DeGennaro ran untouched to the end zone and finished the New England Patriots' 24-21 comeback over the Philadelphia Eagles with his first NFL touchdown. The score came on the game's final drive, and it belonged to a group of undrafted rookie wide receivers who kept the march alive long enough for DeGennaro to get the last target.
That is why Kayshon Boutte is drawing attention now, even in a story that belonged to someone else. The Patriots had four undrafted rookie wideouts on the roster, and three of them — Cameron Dorner, Kyle Dixon and Kobe Prentice — all played on the winning drive. DeGennaro finished with four grabs for 61 yards and the touchdown, while Prentice added a seven-yard catch to the push that flipped a one-score game.
The drive was not a one-man finish. Dorner made the kind of third-and-long slant that looked, at first, like it had reached the sticks. Dixon then kept the chains moving on fourth-and-one with a speed out, and Prentice stayed involved with a short catch that kept the possession on schedule. Only after those plays did DeGennaro break free untouched for the score that sealed the win. In practical terms, each catch increased the probability of a first down, and together they turned a final possession into a touchdown drive.
Dixon's part mattered because it came in his first game back after an injury suffered in practice. He ended with two catches for 10 yards, but the small gain carried extra weight because he was back in the lineup and trusted in a high-pressure moment. Dixon said he thought the ball was going to the other side, then added that Todd Downing tells the receivers to run every route like they are getting the ball and to do the small things the right way. That is the kind of detail coaches notice when they start sorting out jobs after games like this.
DeGennaro called the moment an awesome experience and said he thanked Behren Morton for throwing the ball so well. The bigger question is what the final drive means beyond one comeback win. Four undrafted rookie wideouts helped deliver it, which at minimum gives the Patriots a tighter race for the limited receiver spots that remain. For Kayshon Boutte, and for the others who were on the field when the game turned, the film from this drive will travel farther than the score line does.
