The New England Patriots needed a wide receiver to step up on Sunday in Orchard Park against the Buffalo Bills, and Romeo Doubs did exactly that. After three disappointing weeks, Doubs caught 6 passes from Drake Maye, two of which were for scores.
Maye-Doubs Connection is Growing
Doubs has come a long way since his zero-reception game against the Seahawks in Week 1.
During Weeks 2 and 3, New England’s offseason signee caught six out of eight targets for 145 yards.
Doubs built on his latest production on Sunday. He was not only Maye’s most targeted pass-catcher, but Maye also trusted him to finish long drives with scores and on fourth-down situations.
On New England’s first drive, Maye connected with Doubs on a 14-yard touchdown to cap a 12-play, 97-yard drive which put New England up early 7-0.
The Maye-Doubs connection continued to grow in the second half. On a 4th-and-three, deep in Buffalo territory, Doubs ran an out-breaking route for a 9-yard reception. Not two minutes later, Maye hit Doubs with a goal-line fade touchdown that capped off a 14-play, 73-yard drive to open the second half.
With New England’s pass-catching depth tested, Sunday’s game against the Bills was another great step for Doubs. New England signed him to be the offense’s No. 2 receiver and opted to cut ties with Stefon Diggs, who had 1,000+ yards the season before.
With A.J. Brown sidelined for another few weeks, Doubs will receive his fair share of targets as he continues to build his chemistry with Maye.
Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills was a reminder not only of how effective the Maye-Doubs connection can be, but of the entire offense as a whole. While Buffalo ranked 27th in pass defense coming into the game, the Patriots offense on Sunday accomplished what it did consistently all last season: take advantage of bad football.
