Romeo Doubs’ first night in New England could hardly have gone worse, and it gave Packers fans plenty to chew on.
The veteran receiver, who left Green Bay in the 2026 offseason for a four-year, $68 million deal with the Patriots, made his debut Wednesday night and came away with a rough stat line: three targets, one drop and one interception on a throw his way. The pick can be pinned on Drake Maye’s poor ball placement and bad decision, but the drop was on Doubs, and it came on a catch that would have been a big play for New England.
The timing made the miss even louder. A.J.
Brown went down with an injury early, opening the door for Doubs to become the primary option for Maye. Instead, Mack Hollins ended up getting fed the ball while Doubs never really got going.
That kind of outing is going to draw heat, especially when a team needs a receiver to step up. Patriots fans are already dealing with the Brown injury and a rough collapse from Maye, and Doubs’ debut only added to the frustration.
For Green Bay, though, the game offered a little validation. Doubs was Love’s top target a season ago and finished with 724 receiving yards, then looked like the quarterback’s go-to option after Tucker Kraft went down. But Packers fans have seen the inconsistency before, and Wednesday was just the most extreme version of it.
It also invites a bigger question about Jordan Love. The Packers quarterback has long looked like a talent elevator, and Doubs’ flat debut makes it fair to wonder how much heavy lifting Love was doing for him.
With Kraft, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden all healthy to open the season, Green Bay can look at Doubs’ rough start in New England and feel like it made the right call. And for Doubs, the regret may already be setting in as Week 1 rolls on.
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For the Packers, that contrast is a useful window into the broader identity discussion around Jeff Hafleys defense. The comparison with Jonathan Gannons approach underscores how different coordinators are willing to be in matching personnel to the moment, and it also puts a spotlight on the kind of versatility teams covet now, with Seahawks slot defender Nick Emmanwori able to function both in the slot and near the line as a linebacker type. [Read more 🡒]