Patriots’ offense finds hope through burgeoning partnership between Drake Maye, DeMario Douglas

"As games go by, he's going to gain more confidence and going to play with that swag."

Drake Maye’s ascension as New England’s starting quarterback in Week 6 paid instant dividends for a laboring Patriots offense last Sunday.

After Jacoby Brissett tossed just two touchdowns in his five games as New England’s starter, Maye found the end zone three times in Sunday’s loss to the Texans. Even with some rookie miscues by Maye (three turnovers), he accrued 281 total yards in his first NFL start.

Maye’s mobility and athleticism allowed him to avoid some of the drive-ending sacks that Brissett endured earlier this season, while his arm strength generated the explosive plays that New England’s offense had severely lacked.

And in a game where the Patriots’ receiver corps finally showed some signs of life, it came as little surprise that second-year pro DeMario “Pop” Douglas was at the forefront of the team’s playmaking surge.

“Pop, you can’t guard him in a phone booth,” Maye said on Wednesday morning. “He’s tough to guard in man coverage and he’s got the knack for finding zone. So he’s a great, great guy to have out there. Makes my job a little easier. Any time you see a man matchup, Pop is somebody that you want to go to.”

Douglas’ crisp route running and stop-start acceleration made him a natural target for Maye as the rookie QB tried to settle into his first NFL start. The 23-year-old wideout served as Maye’s safety blanket in the passing game against Houston, reeling in six catches off of nine targets.

Douglas finished with 92 receiving yards and his first career touchdown, finding the end zone off a 35-yard reception after torching Houston’s Eric Murray with a sharp cut across the field.

The shifty Patriots receiver averaged 15.3 yards per catch in the loss, while also drawing a 13-yard pass interference penalty.

Douglas was one of the few bright spots on offense during New England’s miserable 2023 season. After impressing as a rookie during training camp, he went on to record 49 catches for 561 yards that season.

Some of Douglas’ evident talents were underutilized in 2023, given the inefficient passing game conducted by both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.

But with Maye now under center, Douglas’ knack for separating himself from defensive backs and cutting through the middle of the field should allow him to pile up catches and chunk yardage for the Patriots moving forward.

“Drake’s just Drake,” Douglas said Wednesday when asked about a change in the QB’s demeanor after taking over as the team’s starter. “He’s the same guy, no matter where he was, he’s always been encouraging.

“He speaks when he feels like he needs to speak. And what I’ve seen that’s changed is his confidence. And as games go by, he’s going to gain more confidence and going to play with that swag.”

Douglas noted after Sunday’s loss that he’d “run through a wall” for his new quarterback, something that Maye acknowledged on Wednesday as he tries to build more chemistry with his receiver corps.

“It means the world to me. It gives me confidence,” Maye said of Douglas’ comment. “I think those guys do a great job of pumping me up. They were pumping me up throughout the game on the sideline, before the game, in the huddle. They do a great job.

“I think wide receivers, they’ve always got the most swag. Our guys always got some swag. So, it’s nice to hear something like that, just know for those guys and try to do the same for them.”

A confident Maye stands as good news for a Patriots team looking to stack some of the positives drawn from that Texans game, especially going into their next matchup against the Jaguars on Sunday.

If the Patriots’ offense takes another step forward at Wembley Stadium, there’s a good chance that both Maye and Douglas will play a key role in that sustained progress.

“It excited me, just to see a quick glimpse of what we can do,” Douglas said of Sunday’s performance on offense against Houston. “When we put it all together. I feel like it’s gonna be scary.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.