FOXBOROUGH – DeMario Douglas couldn’t stop smiling.

Following the Patriots blowout win over the Carolina Panthers, Mike Vrabel made it a point to credit Douglas and defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The head coach noted that neither filled up the box score, but both contributed in ways that led to the Patriots victory.

The Patriots’ second leading receiver last season, Douglas, played eight offensive snaps on Sunday. That’s the fewest snaps he’s played since Week 5 of his 2023 rookie season.

Despite the minimal playing time, Douglas impressed his coach on a play where he blocked two Panthers players, allowing Hunter Henry to score a 31-yard touchdown.

That’s why he was smiling postgame.

“Just to help do something to help get the W. I feel good,” Douglas told MassLive. “I didn’t even touch the ball, and I’m excited we got the W. I’m in a good state of mind. I’ve got my team behind my back, and they’ve got my back. We’re getting closer together, and we’re starting to play like it. It showed today.”

A sixth-round pick, Douglas has shown bigger potential in New England. He finished with 49 receptions and 561 yards as a rookie. Last year, he caught 66 passes for 621 yards and three touchdowns.

In training camp, no one caught more passes from Drake Maye than Douglas.

He entered this season excited about his potential in Josh McDaniels’ offensive system. However, through four games, Douglas is averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per game with five receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown.

On Sunday, he played behind Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams. However, Vrabel still saw enough effort to mention his name unprompted.

“Pop Douglas would have liked to have a couple extra catches today, but he also turned and blocked (as) Hunter Henry ran down the sidelines,” Vrabel said. “Nobody’s going to say it unless I say it. So those are the things that matter, not the guy catching the touchdown. That’s the easy part. The hard part’s the guy that didn’t get the ball thrown to him that turns immediately and blocks his guy, and we score from the 25-yard line.”

Despite having his fewest snap total since his rookie season, Douglas was all smiles in the postgame locker room. After being a part of two 4-win teams, the receiver knows the stat that truly matters.

“It feels too good,” Douglas said. “I can’t stop smiling. It feels good to win.”