The strong start to the NFL season for the New England Patriots hinted at a promising road ahead. However, the narrow overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday dampened the spirits in Foxborough. In light of this situation, it was none other than QB Jacoby Brissett who sent a clear message to a disappointed teammate.

Following the loss to the Seahawks, receiver Demario Douglas stated to WEEI that he was able to showcase his talent “last year; not yet this year,” clearly expressinghis frustration at not being a consistent target for QB Brissett.

When asked by Conor Ryan of Boston.com about his teammate’s comments, Jacoby Brissett was firm: “I’m glad he’s frustrated. If he wasn’t, that would be more alarming than him not getting the ball to be honest to you. You just explain it to him: You’re going to have those games where it happens like that.

“It’s the second game of the year. We’re still trying to figure out our identity and how this thing is going to play out as far as the offense. It’s a long season ahead. I told him, ‘Man, there’s 15 games left. It’s a lot of football ahead of us.’ Obviously, we’re still getting better as a whole, individually, as an offense. I’m glad he’s frustrated, but I’ll see how he uses the frustration the right way.”

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) walks off the field at halftime during the game against the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH.

Brissett about Douglas’ opportunities

Brissett acknowledged that in these two games, he opted to look for other passing targets instead of Douglas: “Obviously, he’s a dynamic player, and me as the quarterback, I have to find ways to get him the ball,” Brissett said.

“But it’s definitely something that we’re looking at. I don’t want to get into the overreaction thing about why this or that is not happening. It’s the second game of the season. But, we’ve got to find ways to get him the ball. He’s that good of a player.

“Honestly, we’ve got to find ways to get a lot of our skill players the ball, and get them more involved in the game. So yeah, I’ve got to take responsibility for that.”, Brissett finally concluded.

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) calls the play during a game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on September 15, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The New England Patriots will definitely need to improve their level of play as they look ahead, especially if they aim to continue progressing in the league. Douglas and his teammates have received the message from their starting QB, and it will be up to them to come together and achieve positive results in the upcoming games.