In the first month of the season, the Patriots faced more than their fair share of problems, finishing with a 1-2 record. Most concerning were the mounting injuries, Drake Maye's poor play, and costly turnovers across the team.
The quarterback was the worst offender there, leading the league in interceptions for two weeks. Then there were the fumbling issues with Rhamondre Stevenson again, which finally seem to be a thing of the past.
The same goes for Maye, at least over the last three games, as he's thrown only one interception. But the fumbling issue resurfaced this weekend against the Jets, though this time it wasn't due to Maye or Stevenson's carelessness.
Instead, WR DeMario Douglas and RB TreVeyon Henderson were the ones creating the problem, and both gave the Jets' offense another chance to steal a win in Foxboro.
As we know, that (fortunately) didn't happen, but that doesn't negate the severity of fumbling the football, and from what we heard from Douglas after the game, it's beyond clear that he recognizes just how bad his turnover was, and could have been, and vowed he would put in the effort to make sure it doesn't happen again.
DeMario Douglas was not thrilled about fumbling in the Patriots' Week 6 game
He said as much to reporters after the game, admitting he was "doing too much" and that the fumble made him sick.
If that's any indication of how much he doesn't want that to happen again, then the Patriots should be pleased with how he's handling what could have been a very bad situation.
Pop Douglas on his fumble:
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) October 18, 2026
"I'm sick. I can't lie. I'm sick. That gonna haunt me...I just gotta stop doing too much."
-@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/QDcxMLKiv8
This is the kind of response you want to hear from a player who created a nearly dire situation in a must-win game. Fortunately, fumbling hasn't been an issue throughout Douglas' career, so there's no reason to worry about this continuing for the rest of the season.
What should continue is Josh McDaniels using him more on offense, as he's proven to be a valuable weapon over the last few weeks, and that can't keep being ignored.
Over the last four games, he has recorded 14 receptions for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns. He's already matched last year's scoring and half his yardage, reminiscent of his 2024 breakout, when he caught 66 receptions for 621 yards and 3 touchdowns.
With Mack Hollins sidelined for at least two more games and A.J. Brown still getting up to speed with the pace of regular-season football, Drake Maye will need a reliable receiver to elevate the offense and move the chains, which is something Douglas is more than capable of doing, as we've seen in recent weeks.
The offense will need all the help it can get, with multiple starting offensive linemen out, a very inconsistent run game, and a revolving door of receivers due to injuries.
Douglas could be the perfect one to bring the spark they need over the next four weeks before they finally get their bye, and hopefully McDaniels understands after watching him over the past few games.
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