New England Patriots
DeMario Douglas, all 5-foot-8, 185-pounds of him, helped spring TreVeyon Henderson for the Patriots’ only offensive touchdown.
DeMario Douglas Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
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FOXBOROUGH – DeMario Douglas had a simple request for TreVeyon Henderson in the Patriots locker room.
After throwing a key block to help spring the speedy running back for New England’s only offensive touchdown of the day, Douglas said he wanted Henderson to bring him some pancakes.
“That felt good,” Douglas said. “I just told my boy to go get me some pancakes tomorrow and I’ll be good.”
At 5-foot-8, 185-pounds, Douglas is the lightest player on the Patriots roster. He’s tied with Marcus Jones for the shortest on the team. But his effort blocking for Henderson did not go unnoticed amongst his teammates.
Douglas went downfield and knocked a pair of Steelers players into each other, helping Henderson get free for a 39-yard touchdown run that gave New England an early lead.
“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.”
It was the kind of effort the Patriots needed, coach Mike Vrabel said, to help kickstart the offense.
“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.”
The touchdown was Henderson’s first score of the season. He missed Week 1 with an ankle injury. Reaching the end zone was exciting, he said as he credited his teammates for helping him get loose.
“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.”
“Henderson has that home run ability, Jim. He can take any ball anywhere on the field to the house.” – @JJWatt.
And a few plays later…TreVeyon Henderson takes one to the house. pic.twitter.com/kEOYQfZjG1
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026
Mike Onwenu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Will Campbell and Hunter Henry walled off a hole up the middle for Henderson, and Moses pulled from his tackle spot, picking up momentum for a forceful block as Henderson followed 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 Patriots made multiple blocks at the second level to spring Henderson, with Jared Wilson, Mack Hollins, and Romeo Doubs contributing along with Douglas.
Douglas said the Patriots have pancakes at their practice facility, but he also added that he had a different pancake spot in mind for his request.
“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.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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