Toronto-born receiver N’Keal Harry has officially been ruled out of the lineup for Sunday’s game between New England and Buffalo.
Harry suffered a concussion at the end of the first quarter of last week’s game against San Francisco after 49ers defender Tarvarious Moore slammed his head into the turf. A wobbly Harry left the game and entered the NFL’s concussion protocol. He has been sidelined from practice all week with continuing symptoms and will now miss a pivotal AFC East division matchup for the struggling Patriots.
Canadian receiver N’Keal Harry out with head injury vs. 49ers
This wasn’t the first time Harry has suffered a serious blow to the head this season. In Week 2, the Canadian was on the receiving end of a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit from Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs, who was ejected for the play. Harry miraculously emerged uninjured, and hung on to the ball, but he wasn’t nearly so lucky this time around.
The 32nd overall selection by the Patriots in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Harry struggled through an ankle injury for most of his rookie year. He made 12 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven games, making five starts. Harry’s numbers have improved significantly this season, connecting with Cam Newton 19 times for 172 yards and a score through seven weeks. That hasn’t been enough to silence critics of both Harry and the Patriots, many of whom believe the Arizona State University product is a bust and should be sold off at the up-coming trade deadline along with any other assets the Pats might have.
Chase Claypool, N’Keal Harry moving up all-time list of Canadian-born NFL receivers
Nevertheless, Harry has been slowly climbing the all-time Canadian receiving leaderboard. The concern is now his health and the Patriots hope their first rounder will be back in form for their Monday Night Football matchup with the Jets in Week 9.
