Signs of frustration starting to show from Patriots offense after Week 2

Coming into the 2024 regular season, there were many concerns surrounding the offense despite the feeling that they would be much improved from last season. With Mac Jones off to the Jaguars after a trade earlier this year, most of what was most worrisome regarding his performances, like turnovers and bad decision-making, did not carry over to Jacoby Brissett.

However, that meant a new batch of concerns was created instead, one of which was his potential inability to make big throws to keep the chains moving.

Beacuse the receiving corps wasn't vastly improved through free agency, with only K.J. Osborn added to the mix, there wasn't much comfort in the group being more successful than last year, even more so with Kendrick Bourne beginning the year on IR. There was excitement surrounding the two rookies drafted, but it was cautious optimism since first-year receivers tend to take time to develop.

Knowing that, it was assumed the offense would run through Rhamondre Stevenson, as one of the best weapons on the offense, and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's passion for the run game. But it wasn't expected that the receivers would be entirely nonexistent through the first two weeks of the season.

Sticking with the run game against the Bengals in Week 1 was understandable, especially since Stevenson recorded his fourth 100+ yard game of his career. And while it would have been acceptable to replicate that against the Seahawks if it worked, receivers recording just three receptions for 19 yards is not.

Unfortunately, it's looking as though the offense is starting to feel frustrated after the Patriots' first loss.

The lack of wide receiver usage brings out frustration in DeMario Douglas

Among the questions surrounding the lack of receiver integration into the offensive game plan has been the seeming lack of interest in incorporating the team's best receiver from the 2023 season into the offensive scheme.

Douglas was an absolute weapon for the Patriots last year despite the mess that Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were. He was expected to build upon that in year two but has only recorded two receptions for 12 yards this season.

While that is incredibly frustrating, it was more concerning that Douglas wasn't even targeted in the game against the Seahawks on Sunday, which Brissett and Mayo had to address in their post-game press conferences.

Making matters worse, Douglas appears frustrated with his lack of inclusion and shared his feelings with the media on Monday morning.

It's still early in the season, and there is plenty of time for things to change; hopefully, that will be the plan moving forward. Rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker showed too much electric play throughout the summer not to be utilized now that the season has started, while Douglas is a proven talent and shouldn't be spending more time on the sideline than on the field.

Then there's Bourne, who will be eligible to return after Week 4, and there's no reason not to incorporate him into the game plan either.

The Patriots are lucky to have a solid running back room led by Stevenson, and now, with Antonio Gibson in the lineup as well, it's smart to rely upon them when they need to move the chains. However, the schedule is only going to get tougher as the weeks go on, and not effectively using the receivers will be a recipe for disaster if not changed soon.

On top of that, it's not a great look for the locker room to already show some frustration at the start of the Mayo era. That needs to change soon, too.

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