FOXBOROUGH - DeMario Douglas may be the smallest player on the Patriots roster, but on a day when New England needed a spark, he delivered the kind of block that opened the door for the team’s only offensive touchdown.
Douglas, listed at 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, helped clear the way for TreVeyon Henderson’s 39-yard score against the Steelers, and the play clearly stuck with him afterward. In the locker room, he had one simple demand for the rookie back.
“That felt good,” Douglas said. “I just told my boy to go get me some pancakes tomorrow and I’ll be good.”
Douglas and Marcus Jones are tied as the shortest players on the team, but the size difference didn’t matter on the touchdown run. Douglas went downfield and knocked two Steelers defenders into each other, giving Henderson the lane he needed to break free and put New England ahead early.
The block fit exactly what the Patriots said they needed against Pittsburgh’s front. The plan, as Moses put it, was about matching the Steelers’ physicality with the full group.
“We talked about [Pittsburgh’s] front and what they bring to the table,” Moses said. “That’s their identity, their front seven, and we knew it was going to take all 11 [players] to wear them down and get the ball going.”
“That’s something we talked about all week, our 11 blocking their seven. I think it showed up in parts of the game when we really needed it. Any time you can see a receiver go down there and get some blocks in, it’s not the prettiest thing but we see it and he’ll definitely get praised for it, as well.”
Vrabel pointed to the play as a perfect example of the extra edge the Patriots were looking for.
“We talked about creating X plays offensively,” Vrabel said. “You need great execution and extra effort. And I think we had good execution, and then Pop [Douglas] provided the extra effort to spring the block there that got TreVeyon into the end zone.”
For Henderson, it was his first touchdown of the season after sitting out Week 1 with an ankle injury. He credited the players around him for doing the heavy lifting.
“I couldn’t have done it without the offensive linemen and the receiver and the tight-ends and everyone doing their job,” Henderson said. “It’s a team game, and so I can’t do it by myself. I need those guys up front and so I appreciate them for taking care of the dirty work.”
The run started with New England’s line and tight end group creating the opening. Mike Onwenu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Will Campbell and Hunter Henry helped wall off space inside, while Moses pulled from his tackle spot and delivered a strong block as Henderson raced behind him.
“It’s always fun when you get your name called and you know it’s a play where you can get out in space and show a little bit of athleticism, especially at my age,” the 35-year-old Moses said. “You look forward to it, and obviously it’s something I’ve done in the past, so it’s not new to me but it’s always a good deal when you look up and see the running back 20 yards ahead of you running into the end zone. It’s always a a good feeling.”
The second level finished the job. Jared Wilson, Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs all chipped in, along with Douglas, on the play that gave Henderson room to finish.
Douglas also said the Patriots do have pancakes at their practice facility, but that wasn’t the kind he had in mind.
“I want [Henderson] to bring me the pancakes from IHOP or something like that,” Douglas said, with a laugh. “Yeah, I’m a funny guy like that.”
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