The New England Patriots have struggled to do anything offensively, but their passing game has been pathetic through the first four games of the season.
New England is tied for the second-fewest passing touchdowns (two) and the fewest passing yards per game (112.3).
For those watching weekly in the stands or from their couch, it's frustrating to see the team be unable to move the ball through the air in a league that revolves around throwing the ball.
It's no different for those on the field.
Patriots second-year wide receiver DeMario Douglas, who recorded the most receiving yards of any rookie during the Bill Belichick era in 2023, has been a non-factor through four games. So far, he's brought in 12 passes for 94 yards, and he's been targeted just three total times in the last two weeks.
It's not shocking that Douglas displayed some of his frustration with his lack of involvement in the offense to this point.
That's something Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked about in his media availability on Wednesday.
"One thing I would say is as a team, we don't want to show or voice our frustrations on the field like that as visible to everyone," Mayo said. "I will say, look, it's good to have guys that want to go out there and make plays, guys that want to go out there and compete. It's a natural human instinct to be frustrated when things aren't going your way. Look, things aren't going our way as a team right now, and am I frustrated? Absolutely. But I understand that we have a lot of work to do. It's the first quarter of the season. Now, we're going into the second quarter of the season, and hopefully we're getting better."
Douglas also took accountability and explained his actions.
“I don’t know what got into me. That’s not me,” Douglas said on Wednesday (via. MassLive). “I felt bad as soon as I watched it. That was poor by me, how I was on the field. But my team got my back, and I definitely got theirs. It’s just my love of the game. And I love winning.”
Even if New England doesn't want to reward that behavior, they need to get Douglas involved more because he's one of the few guys that they have that can get open somewhat frequently.
If quarterback Jacoby Brissett and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt can make sure to feed Douglas the ball, things will look better than they do now.
MORE PATRIOTS NEWS
Patriots coach doubles down, calls players selfish
Patriots QB feels disrespected by fans
Centers New England could sign after David Andrews injury
Patriots center David Andrews to have season-ending surgery
