The [New England Patriots](https://nesn.com/new-england-patriots) had possibly the worst start to their 2026-27 season on Wednesday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
With an early lead, it looked like the Patriots were bound to win this game with relative ease. The defense did exactly what it needed to do, and while the offense struggled, it wasn't terrible.
Then, the fourth quarter came, when the Patriots couldn't get anything going. Drake Maye threw three interceptions, including a game-sealing one late in the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks scored 10 points in the quarter to win 13-10.
More concerning than anything else, however, superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown went down after a three-reception, 26-yard night with an ankle injury.
Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, Brown will be out for at least four weeks.
“An MRI confirmed that New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks that is expected to sideline him for at least four weeks, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Thursday,” he [wrote](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49897884/sources-patriots-aj-brown-likely-least-4-weeks).
The Patriots should understand that they can't be too crazy bringing back Brown before he's healthy. Over the next four games, the Patriots will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Patriots and Jaguars are two playoff-caliber teams, while the Bills are expected to be one of the best teams in the NFL and a threat to win the AFC East.
Still, keeping Brown healthy needs to be a priority.
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