Brandon LaFell’s rise and fall with Patriots

A few things could be counted on when wide receiver Brandon LaFell played for the New England Patriots from 2014-2015: He’d usually wear a different hat each day, and like the brim on each one, he was a straight shooter.

Brandon LaFell has landed in a good spot with the Bengals, with 21 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

It all began when he injured his left foot in the fourth quarter of the 2014 season finale against the Buffalo Bills, which was a meaningless game in terms of playoff seeding, but turned out to be especially meaningful to LaFell’s future in New England.

I had a cortisone shot in the playoffs and played my way through and practiced some days, and it worked out pretty well,” recalled LaFell, who had the winning touchdown catch in the AFC divisional-round victory over Baltimore and scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl XLIX.

When he came back in Week 7, he endured one of the toughest games of his career, with multiple drops in a 30-23 win over the New York Jets.

“When I came back it didn’t feel good, but I kept playing.

It just never felt right for a whole week or for a couple games back to back,” he said.

“I could never get back into my rhythm and get back to playing like the way I know how to play.

It also helps that he’s landed in a good spot with the Bengals, for whom he’s played 93.2 percent of the offensive snaps in their 2-3 start and has totaled 21 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns.