DeMario Douglas explains going backward on Patriots' failed fourth-down play vs. Steelers
Despite turning the ball over five times on Sunday, the New England Patriots still had a chance to pull even with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final minutes of their Week 3 clash at Gillette Stadium. It all came down to a must-have fourth-and-1 for New England at the Pittsburgh 28-yard line.
But instead of taking steps forward to a potential game-tying score, the New England offense went backward. Quarterback Drake Maye dropped back and sent a pass to DeMario Douglas in the flat, which the receiver caught just over the line of scrimmage with Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols and linebacker Patrick Queen hovering around him.
But instead of diving forward for a fresh set of downs, Douglas took a step back to try and circle around the Pittsburgh defense. That didn't happen, and Douglas was dropped for a one-yard loss.
Drive over, game over for New England. The Patriots walked off the field with a disappointing 21-14 loss to fall to 1-2 on the season.
After the defeat, Douglas admitted he should have had a better approach after hauling in Maye's pass.
"Probably knife, go straight up," he told reporters in the New England locker room. "I thought I had a guy right behind me, that's what made me move."
Making the failed play all the more frustrating was the fact the Patriots had gone 4-for-4 on fourth downs before coming up short in the final minutes.
"It hurts, you know," said Douglas. "Nobody likes losing, especially the way we lost."
"It looked like they pressured us and Drake got the ball out, and again, probably have to just drop step and be able to knife," head coach Mike Vrabel said of the play after the loss. "Know those are going to be bang-bang plays and try to split them and get the first down. It's hard to circle around some defenders.
"I didn't have the best view of it," added Vrabel. "I would say that the decision that Pop made wasn't the right one there just because we didn't get it. Got to try to either drop step or make them miss."
DeMario Douglas' struggles in 2025
Two plays prior to the fourth-down play, Maye and Douglas couldn't connect on a second-and-12 pass. The incompletion was on Maye, who threw the ball behind Douglas.
But Douglas has struggled to catch on so far this season, with only five receptions on his 13 targets. His two receptions on Sunday (on five targets) went for just seven yards. He played only a quarter of the team's offensive snaps and was targeted just once in New England's Week 2 win over the Dolphins in Miami, which he caught for an eight-yard gain.
Douglas caught a one-yard touchdown in Week 1, but he had just two receptions on seven targets and finished the opener with negative-two receiving yards.
His failed fourth down on Sunday wasn't the reason the Patriots lost, considering the team turned the ball over five times in the contest, including twice in the red zone. But Douglas going backward instead of just lunging forward is another sign this New England team still has a lot of steps to go before it learns how to not lose football games -- let alone win them.