The excitement around the Patriots' 2026 season opener began to wane after a preseason that left much to be desired. Although no starters played, making it hard to evaluate whether the offseason upgrades were enough, the preseason raised serious concerns among fans about what the upcoming season might look like.
Unfortunately, those concerns proved valid in their brutal loss to the Seahawks on Wednesday night.
The way they lost has many wondering whether they made the right roster improvements, especially after seeing how most new players performed in their debuts, most notably wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
It already seemed problematic enough that he wasn't targeted by Drake Maye until late in the game, considering the hefty contract they signed him to earlier this year. But the first time they threw him the ball, it turned into a nasty interception by Nehemiah Pritchett.
Doubs followed that up on his next target with an unforgivable drop, immediately making him the face of Patriots' fans' wrath in the hours that followed the game. And he only made it worse with his response about his frustrating debut.
Romeo Doubs is not going to win over Patriots fans with this kind of candid response
When speaking to reporters after the game, it didn't take long for Doubs to be asked about his fourth-quarter drop, and while it's admirable that he was honest with his answer, it certainly won't help him get in the good graces of Patriots fans anytime soon.
The only silver lining is that he vowed he will be better.
“I just wasn't locked in enough. That's all. Video speaks for itself. And like I said, I'll be better.”
It's difficult to fathom that you wouldn't be "locked in enough" by the fourth quarter in a game, but maybe that's just the ignorance of not ever being a player in the NFL. It could be because you weren't targeted at all in the earlier quarters, which led to disaster for Doubs.
Regardless, it's not the best first impression to give your new team's fanbase, even if it is the truth and probably a fluke performance. It's not like this was something he was known for during his time with the Packers; it was just his first game with the Patriots.
We'll just have to wait and see, and hopefully Doubs can live up to his promise to be better, as he said. The Patriots are going to need it, as we saw on Wednesday night, even more so if A.J. Brown has to miss time due to an injury.
Can Doubs be the receiver Eliot Wolf and Co. believe he can be?
Can he put this bad game behind him and not let it torture him moving forward?
It's asking a lot for a young receiver, but that's what happens when you have a performance this poor.
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