Seconds after scoring the first touchdown of the Patriots' eventual AFC divisional round win on Jan. 18 against the Houston Texans, Douglas raised his left hand to his red face mask, covering his mouth and nose. At the same time, he extended his right arm in front of him, turned his palm sideways and waved it back and forth as the crowd roared and did the motion back at him.
To make things more egregious, the flag wasn't thrown until the Patriots were celebrating the touchdown in the end zone, leading many to believe it was going to be a taunting penalty. Instead, it was a flag for offensive pass interference, initially called on TE Austin Hooper, only to be later revised and claimed to be on Stefon Diggs. The problem, though, was that there was no pass interference, even when the commentary team tried to spin the play into looking like it fit the penalty.
The Patriots' receiving corps was a hot topic throughout the offseason, as they had 12 players on the roster for much of training camp. It was the first time in many years that there was actual competition to make the team, with a few early risers looking like they would dominate on offense once the regular season began. Among the most talked about was DeMario Douglas, who had an impressive performance all summer long, leading many to believe he could be a secret weapon for Drake Maye during a very telling second season. The connection between them was clear last year, and it looked like they were well on their way to building upon that going into this season.
