FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Doubs' modest start: Receiver Romeo Doubs' home in the Patriots' locker room reflects the high expectations that followed him from Green Bay to New England after he signed a four-year, $68 million contract in March. Quarterback Drake Maye's locker is on the end, with receiver A.J. Brown to his right. Then, veteran receiver Mack Hollins, Doubs and fourth-year pass catcher DeMario 'Pop' Douglas fill out the row of five lockers.
The 1-2 Patriots are banking on Doubs' signing paying off, and Sunday would be the ideal time for a breakout as they try to keep up with quarterback Josh Allen and the 3-0 Bills in Orchard Park, New York (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
The early returns have been modest. Doubs, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Packers, has totaled six receptions for 145 yards. He had a costly drop in a season-opening loss at Seattle and was penalized for offensive pass interference in last Sunday's blowout road loss to the Jaguars. His highlight was a three-catch, 96-yard performance in the Patriots' win over the Steelers in Week 2.
Coaches and teammates remain convinced of what the soft-spoken Doubs can bring to the Patriots. They're also preaching patience, with coordinator Josh McDaniels noting, "There's always going to be a period of acclimation [when players join new teams]."
For his part, Doubs, 26, isn't discouraged.
"Anything in this league isn't easy to do. I wouldn't say that's just football; it's everywhere. You have to work hard for whatever it is you want in life," he said. "I'm staying true to my process."
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Doubs has been on the field for 65% of the offensive snaps, with only Hollins getting more playing time among receivers (72.5%). The Patriots have had to adjust after losing Brown, their No. 1 receiver, to a right high ankle sprain early in the third quarter of the Sept. 9 opener.
Hollins, whose outgoing personality is the yin to Doubs' low-key yang, has enjoyed working with him.
"Obviously, the physical ability speaks for itself; he's big, fast and strong," he said. "Just a guy in the room who is passionate about the game. His want for knowledge and to learn everything going on; he sees the bigger picture and boils it down to the smaller picture. That comes from years of work. It has stacked up, and it shows."
Yet, the connection with Maye remains a work in progress. The quarterback lamented his third-down throw to Doubs early in the third quarter of last Sunday's blowout loss to the Jaguars, as Maye was trying to capitalize on one-on-one coverage along the sideline and left the ball inside.
"I missed him, but love what he's been doing. He's just been putting his head down and working ever since the first game, and I'm gaining more and more trust in Romeo," Maye said.
"He's doing some great things, blocking in the run game and joining in on the efforts of becoming what we like to do on offense for this football team with Coach [Mike] Vrabel, and that's effort, blocking downfield and doing the little things right. I'm really proud of how he has handled things and am looking forward to seeing him keep doing his thing."
McDaniels said coaches can sometimes try to do too much with new players, and noted that there has been a process of identifying what Doubs does well and focusing on that first, with a goal to add more in time. He lauded Doubs' attitude in saying, "I think he has a really bright future here for us."
Though Doubs has opted not to detail the differences for receivers in the Packers' and Patriots' offenses, he acknowledged the learning curve in New England.
"It's a grind. It's not something I expected to happen quickly," he said. "Being in a new offense, it's a process. I'm staying true to it, and I look forward to my day-to-day work."
2. WRs open: Patriots wide receivers and tight ends rank fifth in ESPN Analytics' open score metric through three games, and it reflects, in part, that getting open isn't among the most pressing issues for the NFL's lowest-scoring offense. For every route run, open score assesses the likelihood a receiver would complete a catch if he were targeted.
3. Maye's decisions: Maye, who has a league-high six interceptions, continues to stress that improving his decision-making is the first thing that can help revive the offense, as that's what "makes or breaks" quarterbacks.
"I don't feel like we're going out there, getting outmatched and not moving the football. There are plays out there to be made," he said. "It starts with me making them go and making good decisions."
4. Stat check: Here's a deeper dive into stats that give context into Maye's struggles, per ESPN Research:
His average time before pass this season is 3.04 seconds, up from 2.97 seconds last season.
He has faced pressure on 41.4% of dropbacks thus far, up from 33.9% in 2025. That is despite being blitzed at similar rates (30.0% in 2025; 29.3% in 2026).
Maye operated out of play-action on 24.8% of his dropbacks in 2025, a figure that has dropped to 19.2% this season. Maye led the NFL in QBR when using play-action last season, throwing 10 touchdowns and no interceptions on those plays.
After facing zone on 51% of his dropbacks last season, that has jumped to 65% this season. He's seeing a lot more Cover 2, up from 19% of his dropbacks last season to 32% this year.
5. New RG: In 2025, the Patriots had the sixth-most continuity in terms of starting offensive lines. This year, they'll already be breaking in their third different starting configuration in Week 4, with Ben Brown anticipated to start at right guard in place of the injured Mike Onwenu (ankle) and Greg Van Roten (thigh), according to Vrabel.
Brown, whose most natural position is center, has never started an NFL game at the position but noted that he played there in last season's second game against the Jets. "I feel comfortable there," he said.
6. Gilliam's return: Fullback Reggie Gilliam spent the first six years of his career with the Bills before joining the Patriots this year. Here's what he said before the game:
Returning to play in Orchard Park, New York: "Excited. To play in the new stadium and see my old teammates and old friends and everybody over there, it's a great opportunity and great experience, all around."
Greatest memories with the Bills: "Oh man, there's so many. AFC championships, making the playoffs every year I was there, just hanging out with the guys after practice, after games. I was there for six years; that's a big part of my life. So excited to see those guys, but at the end of the day, they're still the opponent, and we have to go out there and do what we do."
Thinking of this day when joining the Patriots: "I was excited to sign, of course, but it hurt leaving what I had known for so long -- my friends, my house, all the relationships I made out there. At the end of the day, it's a business and hardly anyone stays on the same team their whole career. I knew it was bound to happen at some point."
What he has learned about New England: "I've come to learn it's similar. It's a big family experience here. We're all close. We're all brothers. It's just one of those things that I think is pretty general across NFL locker rooms. You spend so much time with these guys, and I'm looking forward to continuing to grow those relationships."
7. Eyes on KR: Could Kyle Williams' regrettable decision to field a kickoff at the 9-yard line and step out of bounds last week lead the coaching staff to consider a change?
It didn't sound like special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer was thinking along those lines. He complimented Williams' overall body of work last week, but Efton Chism III is among the options if they make a change. Chism highlighted his kickoff mentality, saying, "Try to make an explosive play ... hit it and run through the smoke as hard as I can."
8. Bryant close: After Sunday's game, the Patriots can start the clock on second-year offensive tackle Marcus Bryant's return from injured reserve, and based on his presence in the locker room last week, it looked as though that might be on the radar. Bryant was tracking as the top backup tackle in training camp/preseason before getting rolled up on in the second preseason game on Aug. 22. And with special teams ace Brenden Schooler also eligible to play next week after opening the year on the reserve/non-football injury list and beginning to practice two weeks ago, there's an open roster spot waiting for him.
9. In the Woods: With cornerback Christian Gonzalez ruled out for Sunday's game due to a shoulder injury, the Patriots' other starting cornerback, Carlton Davis III, pointed out that third-year player Charles Woods filled in admirably for him in Week 2 and will now need to do it again for Gonzalez. Davis said the Patriots have confidence in Woods (10 tackles in Week 2, the majority against the run). Davis also shared that he has noticed an increased level of maturity from him this year, citing how he has been arriving at the stadium earlier. In addition to Woods, the Patriots could also play slot Marcus Jones more on the outside.
10. Did You Know: This marks the Patriots' sixth straight season in which they started 1-2, which is the second-longest streak in franchise history. The longest stretch of winning at most one of their first three games in a season was the 10-year span from 1987 to 1996.
