The New England Patriots did not just lose their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks last Wednesday, they also lost wide receiver A.J. Brown to injury. The high-prized offseason trade acquisition suffered a high-ankle sprain and was since placed on injured reserve.
While that means he will miss at least four games, the expectation is that his absence will be longer than that.
“My understanding is the expectation is he misses six weeks,” NFL Network insider Rapoport said on the air on Sunday. “Generally, it is four to six. This is a little more serious. Six weeks, no surgery planned.”
Brown caught three passes for 26 yards in his Patriots debut, but hurt his ankle in the early third quarter while diving for an under-thrown Drake Maye third-down pass. He remained on the ground before gingerly walking to the blue medical tent on the sidelines; he subsequently reemerged and headed to the locker room for further testing, where he was then ruled out for the remainder of the game.
With Brown sidelined, the Patriots offense did not score any more points. New England ended up losing 13-10 to start a second straight season with an 0-1 record.
Now on injured reserve, Brown will not be available against the Steelers, Jaguars and Bills. If indeed held out for six weeks, he would also miss games against the Raiders and Jets. In his place, the Patriots’ outside wide receiver group will be headed by Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams.
The group will see its first extended action without Brown on Sunday against Pittsburgh. Kickoff for the Patriots’ home opener at Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
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* [New England Patriots Injuries](/new-england-patriots-injuries)
* [New England Patriots Rumors](/new-england-patriots-rumors)