Patriots' DeMario Douglas accomplished more than just first career TD in Week 6

The excitement of Drake Maye's first NFL start this past Sunday was by far the biggest storyline heading into the Patriots Week 6 matchup with the Texans, for good reason. It felt like a long time coming, especially for those who believed he should've been the starter from the beginning, and he put together an impressive debut despite the loss.

It was the official start of the Maye era in New England, and the rookie's memorable day brought out a lot of optimism about the future. On top of that was the chemistry that was already developing between him and the offense, particularly with wide receiver DeMario Douglas, who led the Patriots in receiving yards last year.

The expectation was that Douglas would continue on that path this year, especially with Kendrick Bourne sidelined for the first four games. But the connection with Jacoby Brissett was lacking, leading to frustration from the receiver and the rest of the offense.

It didn't take long for Maye to utilize Douglas's explosive play style against an excellent Texans defense, though, and the pair connected in the endzone for Douglas's first career touchdown.

That was certainly worthy of celebration, but the receiver also accomplished another important feat that seems to have gone unnoticed this week.

DeMario Douglas proved even further why he could be the Patriots WR1 in Week 6

Taking advantage of the clear connection on Sunday, Maye made Douglas his go-to guy throughout the game. It turned out to be a wise decision, with the receiver totaling 6/9 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Finally recording his first touchdown was noteworthy, but so was the fact that Douglas totaled the most receiving yards by a Patriots wide receiver in a single game since their Week 16 game against the Bengals on December 24, 2022. That was a game run through Bourne, who totaled six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown to lead all receivers in that loss.

While it's another accomplishment to add to Douglas's impressive week, it also proves just how much the Patriots receiving corps has struggled over the last several years. Plenty of teams around the league have receivers hit 100 yards every week, but that hasn't been the case for a long time in Foxboro.

With Douglas on the rise again, Bourne back in the lineup, and a lot of potential from rookie Ja'Lynn Polk, the Patriots could have a winning combination to have found their clear WR1, or at the very least, a lethal trio for Maye to work with for the foreseeable future.

More Patriots news and analysis: