New England Patriots free agent signee Romeo Doubs needed a bounce-back performance in Week 2. That was pretty evident by the wide receiver’s reaction after he made a couple big plays Sunday in the 20-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel commended Doubs for bouncing back with a nice performance Sunday. But the head coach also argued with reporters after Week 2 that the receiver’s Patriots debut wasn’t really as bad as the narrative made it.
“Romeo dropped one ball last week in the first game. I mean, I’ve seen that he dropped three passes. I don’t think he dropped three passes. He dropped one,” Vrabel told reporters. “We get back to work.
“People drop passes, people miss tackles. You guys just don’t see them all the time. You guys see the drops and the easy ones. Romeo got back to work and worked extremely hard.”
Doubs led the Patriots with 96 receiving yards versus the Steelers, which was particularly key Sunday, as New England played its first game in 2026 without WR1 A.J. Brown.
No other New England pass-catcher had more than 40 yards Sunday. Doubs had 63 yards on one reception.
Romeo Doubs Turns in Big Week 2 to Lead Patriots
Drops is a statistic with a lot more subjectivity than most fans realize. So while Vrabel might be correct, others aren’t necessarily wrong if they want to argue Doubs had more than one drop in Week 1.
Really, though, the number doesn’t matter. Doubs turned in an uncharacteristic bad game in Week 1 versus the Seattle Seahawks. As Vrabel expected, he rebounded in Week 2 just when the Patriots needed him.
With the Patriots leading by a touchdown, Doubs hauled in a 63-yard reception down the sideline on a scramble drill late in the third quarter. The reception was the first play of a drive that started at the New England 8-yard line.
Obviously, it jumped started the possession, which ended in a field goal. New England went ahead by two scores for good with the successful try.
Doubs caught a 29-yard pass earlier in the third quarter as well. That moved the Patriots to the Steelers 33-yard line, but that possession ended with a Drake Maye interception.
Doubs caught four of his three targets. Only tight end Hunter Henry had more targets in the victory.
Mike Vrabel Needs More From Doubs Going Forward
Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 1. That’s something that could linger for the rest of the season, but Brown is expected to miss about six weeks.
The Patriots placed the wideout on injured reserve. That means, at the minimum, he will be out for four games.
New England’s offense needs a lot more of what it saw from Doubs versus the Steelers. He’s the team’s top receiver until Brown returns.
Last season, Doubs posted 55 catches with a career-high 724 receiving yards. He also had six touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers.
During Week 2, the only other Patriots wideout with multiple catches was veteran Mack Hollins, who finished the afternoon with two receptions for 18 yards.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Speaks out on WR Romeo Doubs Criticism After Steelers Win