Patriots
Douglas took an arm to the head while fielding a punt Sunday.
Patriots rookie Demario Douglas did not return to Sunday’s game against the New York Giants after sustaining a head injury in the fourth quarter.
The injury happened while Douglas was fielding a punt. Giants defender Cam Brown went to make the hit and caught Douglas across the face mask with his arm. No penalty was called on the hit.
Douglas stayed down on the field for some extra time and was visibly shaken up. New England announced him as “doubtful” to return following the play, and he was later downgraded to out.
The Patriots’ sixth-round pick has become a go-to target for whichever quarterback is lined up under center. With Kendrick Bourne out for the rest of the season, Douglas took on an even larger role. In Sunday’s game against the Giants, Douglas recorded a team-high 49 receiving yards, enough to surpass Bourne to become the season-leader in receiving yards (410).
Douglas has already landed on the injury report with a head injury this season. He suffered a concussion earlier in the year and was ruled out of New England’s Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Patriots’ receiving core has been banged up for most of the season. DeVante Parker only recently got back into the lineup after a concussion left him sidelined. JuJu Smith-Schuster has had multiple injuries to work through since joining New England, and Tyquan Thornton began the season on injured reserve.
Now, the Patriots may be without another key piece to their already-struggling passing game.
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