The New England Patriots will be without their No. 1 wide receiver for the foreseeable future. A.J. Brown, who exited Wednesday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter, is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain.
According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, how much time he will miss will be determined by an MRI on Thursday. X-rays did come back negative for a fracture of the injured right ankle, though.
Brown, 29, joined the Patriots in a trade with the Eagles
this offseason. He promptly took on a starting role, and as such was on the field for 31 of New England’s first 35 snaps against Seattle. He caught three passes for 26 yards along the way and drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty to set up his team’s lone touchdown.
However, he remained on the ground following an unsuccessful target in the third period. Brown eventually got up under his own power before limping to the blue medical tent on the sidelines. He departed for the locker room shortly thereafter, and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.
In his place, New England relied heavily on fellow wideout Mack Hollins while also giving Kyle Williams a handful of reps in the X-receiver spot.
“We don’t blink at all. It’s always been the-next-man-up mentality,” said offensive tackle Morgan Moses after the game. “We know in that room we have some dogs. It’s not just one guy. When you have a room like that, full of guys that can make the play, you’re never thinking on one guy. The opportunity for the other guys to step up was there, and they did what they needed to do. A.J.’s a professional, and he’ll do what he needs to do to get back.”
Coming out of their season opener, the Patriots will enjoy a mini-bye before their next game on Sept. 20 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
