For 30 minutes, AJ Brown’s first night in a New England Patriots uniform looked like the beginning of exactly what the team had envisioned. New England had built a 10-0 lead over the defending champions; Brown had already made his presence felt, and Drake Maye appeared to have found his No. 1 target. By the third quarter, however, things went downhill when Brown suffered an ankle injury.
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Subsequently, the Patriots now had to make a tough decision for their wide receiver.
“The #Patriots have placed WR AJ Brown on IR due to a high-ankle sprain suffered on Wednesday night, per @AdamSchefter,” NFL insider Ari Meirov reported on Friday.
That said, the receiver will now be sidelined for at least four weeks. The report surfaced after an MRI confirmed Brown’s high ankle sprain this week.
That means the Patriots will play their next home matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers without Brown, followed by their next two road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, before hosting the Las Vegas Raiders. The development around Brown gained momentum after the receiver’s third-quarter injury against the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener.
On third-and-4, Drake Maye attempted to find Brown with a low throw. The receiver was running a short route when he went down to make the catch.
However, for broader context, Seattle cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett was defending Brown closely and broke up Maye’s pass. As the two players fell, Pritchett’s knee came down on Brown’s right ankle, trapping it between Pritchett’s body and the turf.
Brown immediately grabbed his right ankle and remained on the field. He was initially treated on the field by the Patriots’ medical staff before eventually leaving the game. The initial report confirmed that Brown had suffered an ankle injury. At the time he left the field, the receiver had already made three catches for 26 yards on four targets.
With Brown leaving the game early, Mack Hollins led the receiving game. He caught four passes for 51 yards on five targets to finish the game, as the Patriots lost 13-10.
That said, the Patriots had acquired Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick earlier this offseason. Certainly, Brown was expected to become Maye’s No. 1 target.
But now, AJ Brown is set to miss at least the next four games of the season. In his absence, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas are expected to become the top two wide receivers for the Patriots, with Kyle Williams and Hollins expected to see more reps.