The production has not been there for A.J. Brown since returning to the field from a high ankle sprain.
Through two games, Brown has hauled in just six of 16 targets for 75 yards. That included him dropping multiple passes in his first game back against the Jets.
“I’m trying to put my best foot forward. I know obviously I’m working through something, but it’s no excuses. I made none in the first week I was out there,” Brown said. “The things I can control, I try to control. That’s the only thing. I don’t
look at anything as positive or negative, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s information.”
After playing two games in five days, Brown said he was feeling “OK” physically. The 29-year-old expectedly appeared to be working his way back to full explosiveness Thursday night.
“Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I see it, and sometimes I’m pushing through,” Brown said. “None of that stuff even matters. I’m out here, so I’m going.”
While Brown did not have any drops in Chicago, the receiver missed several blocks in the run game. That included failing to sustain a downfield block on a cornerback, a missed opportunity that could have helped Rhamondre Stevenson find the end zone.
Brown acknowledged those mistakes Wednesday.
“I won’t make any excuses. I missed a couple blocks,” he said. “I’m going to leave it at that.”
The Patriots will have an opportunity to get Brown going this weekend in Miami against a Dolphins defense that has struggled against the pass. Miami’s young secondary has been part of the league’s worst pass defense this season, giving Brown and the New England offense a chance to build some momentum.
Brown knows they’re close to getting there.
“There’s still room for improvement. We’ve done some good things. We just got to take it to another level. All 11 guys doing the same thing at the same time to help the offense stay on the field to complete the drive,” Brown said. “We are close.”
For Drake Maye, the quarterback is excited to watch Brown get going.
“He’s just getting things going,” Maye said. “I think he’s a had a tough road battling IR and coming back to try and find a flow. We had a Thursday night game where’s there’s not a full week of practice. We really had our third or fourth practice out there [Wednesday] with him running and getting in the groove of the game plan.
“We got to keep that big picture in mind. We got full trust in him and he’s gonna make plays. It’ll be fun to watch him when he does.”
