New England Patriots
“There are hard workers on this team. I would say none that probably work harder than Efton.”
The Patriots weren’t exactly going up against “The Steel Curtain” Steelers or the “Legion of Boom” Seahawks on Sunday afternoon against the Jets.
But for all of the explosive plays generated by Drake Maye and New England’s offense this season, the writing was on the wall that the Patriots were going to need younger players to step up at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
New England was going to have to dive deep into its depth chart on Sunday given this recent string of injuries, with both Mack Hollins (abdomen) and Kayshon Boutte (concussion) sidelined for this AFC East bout.
Enter Efton Chism.
The undrafted pickup out of Eastern Washington was one of the darlings of the preseason for New England, with his 5-foot-10 frame and shifty route-running tempting Patriots fans with visions of another Julian Edelman storming onto the scene in Foxborough for years to come.
Those strong returns in August haven’t led to tangible results for Chism once the regular season began this fall, with the 24-year-old wideout largely relegated to special-teams reps or ruled inactive on a Patriots receiver group that has had multiple contributors step up.
But on Sunday, Chism finally had his shot to factor into New England’s offense — an opportunity that he has been bracing for over the last few months.
“He’s always prepared,” Mike Vrabel said Friday of Chism’s shot at extended snaps on Sunday. “There are hard workers on this team. I would say none that probably work harder than Efton.
“I’m not going to say that he’s the hardest worker, but you’d be hard pressed to find players that work harder than him, to be prepared, to be ready and take advantage of his opportunity, which it looks, by all accounts, that he’ll get opportunities.”
And on Sunday, Chism made good on the chances that came his way.
On an afternoon where Maye spread the wealth on New England’s aerial attack with five passing TDs to five different targets, Chism was one of the key conduits in New England’s lopsided 42-10 victory.
Chism finished with two catches for 40 yards in the win.
His first snag — a 30-yard pickup over the middle in the first quarter — stood as his first career catch in the NFL.
His second catch was made in the end zone — with his 10-yard catch marking his first NFL touchdown and Maye’s fifth (and final) one of the afternoon.
“Super special, super surreal,” Chism said of his breakthrough performance. “I think you always kind of dream of those moments and then it happens. I’m just very blessed and thankful to be here and just have a great receiver room, great quarterback, great coaches, top down, everyone in our program. It’s special —I’m very thankful to be a part of it.”
The road hasn’t been easy for Chism in his first year in the NFL. As New England’s offense continued to exceed expectations, the production put forth by players like Stefon Diggs, Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Hollins, Kyle Williams, and others often came at Chism’s detriment.
But Chism — who broke several of Cooper Kupp’s program records at Eastern Washington — took his limited reps in stride.
I think that’s part of the NFL,” Chism explained. “As a rookie, I think obviously everyone wants to play early and wants to contribute as much as they can. But I knew that my opportunity was going to come and hopefully take advantage of it.”
Chism has credited Hollins for serving as a valuable resource this season as he navigated the trials and tribulations that present themselves during the course of an NFL season.
Ironically, Hollins’ injury — which landed him on injured reserve for at least four games — opened the door for Chism to draw into the lineup on Sunday.
Hollins still made the trek to East Rutherford on Sunday, and offered up some words of advice to Chism ahead of the game.
“He just said, ‘Keep going. Doesn’t matter. Work’s never going to stop.’ Opportunities are opportunities,” Chism said of Hollins’ message. “Him and I, our relationship is special. … I appreciate him.”
With Hollins still on the mend for the next few weeks, more opportunities could be on the horizon for Chism — especially come the postseason.
If Sunday was any indication, Chism is ready to seize his next chance to make an impact out on the gridiron.
“Not [looking] too far in the future and too far in the past, but just live in the now and continue to show up daily, work as hard as I can, and not try to overstep or try to get into the future too fast,” Chism said of his mindset. “So definitely ups and downs as a rookie. But man, it’s been so special to be here.”
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