One third down, one knee, four weeks gone
The play that did the damage lasted about two seconds. On third down in Seattle, Drake Maye looked for A.J. Brown. Seahawks nickel corner Nehemiah Pritchett got a hand on the ball and forced the punt. Coming down, his knee caught the outside of Brown’s right ankle and rolled it inward. The receiver pulled off his shoe and walked to the medical tent while New England kicked a field goal to go up 10-0 in the third quarter.
An MRI confirmed a high ankle sprain, per ESPN. The Patriots are set to place him on injured reserve after Wednesday’s 13-10 loss.
IR carries a four-game minimum. Brown is not back before Week 6. For a team already sitting at 0-1, that stings.
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Three months on from the trade that was supposed to fix the offense
New England landed Brown from Philadelphia in early June. The plan was not complicated: finally hand Drake Maye a real number one. Through halftime of the opener, Brown had three catches for 26 yards, the best line on the roster.
Then nothing. High ankle sprains are among the worst things that can happen to a receiver, because they attack the push-off and the cut, the two things the job is built on. Four weeks is the floor, not the ceiling.
527 catches, and no one on the roster to cover them
At 29, Brown is still one of the most productive receivers of his generation. Three straight second-team All-Pro nods with the Eagles in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Career numbers of 527 catches, 8,055 yards and 56 touchdowns across 106 games, 98 of them starts.
Tennessee from 2019 to 2021, Philadelphia from 2022 to 2025, New England now. Seven seasons of winning contested balls and playing bigger than the coverage.
The Patriots are without him until mid-October at best. They built their passing game around a summer trade, and they are back at the drawing board before it ever got going.
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