The New England Patriots got star wide receiver A.J. Brown back for Sunday’s win against the New York Jets. That return came with some ups, but there were also downs that made some question if he’s still healthy, or if he could need to miss some time in the future.
That’s particularly true because the Patriots have a quick turnaround for next week. They’re set to take on the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football next week.
Despite that, Brown dismissed any ideas that he’s going to miss that game. According to Brown on Sunday, he “absolutely” will be good to go for Thursday.
It’s good news for the Patriots as injury issues continue to stack up. Romeo Doubs suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s win. Worse, the offensive line took another series of hits against the Jets. Morgan Moses, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Ben Brown all exited as well. The severity of those injuries is up in the air, but it puts the Patriots in a tough position. Losing Brown would only make things worse.
New England Patriots WR A.J. Brown Opened Up About Struggles
A.J. Brown has seen better days than he did in his return to the field on Sunday. That wasn’t for a lack of effort by the Patriots offense to get him the ball, though. He would be targeted a total of 10 times.
Despite that, Brown only had 3 receptions for 27 yards. He also had 3 drops, making this one of the worst games of his career as he returned from a high-ankle sprain that forced him onto IR.
After the game, Brown was critical of himself. He also made it clear that he didn’t want to use his ankle injury as an excuse for the drops.
“No excuses… Ankle or not, I should make those plays,” Brown said.
Brown would also add that he felt like his timing was off today. That’s understandable, given the circumstances. Brown would add, “I’ll be better.”
As time goes on, it’s safe to assume that Brown will get better. He’ll keep getting more comfortable within the Patriots offense and building chemistry with Drake Maye. Importantly, he should also get more confident on his bad ankle.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on A.J. Brown’s Performance
One person who expects more out of A.J. Brown is Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Going back to their time with the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel knows he’s capable of better, and he’d call Brown out postgame.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t his best effort,” Vrabel said. “He’s knows that. We know that… we have all the confidence in AJ”
Vrabel’s frustrations went well beyond Brown, even though the Patriots won. That’s because he thought they were lucky to do so, saying, “Lucky to win… we just didn’t play very well.”
Next week is going to take a much bigger effort to beat the Chicago Bears. At 4-2, the Bears have won three out of their last four, including on Sunday. On top of that, Caleb Williams returned from injury, so Chicago is getting healthy in time for the game, too. The Patriots can’t afford another sloppy effort.
Patriots WR A.J. Brown Shares Availability for Thursday vs. Bears