There are new developments about New England Patriots wide receiver A. J. Brown and his injury. He did not fracture his ankle, but he is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain. This was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo on Thursday morning.
The injury occurred early in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett fell on Brown’s right ankle on a 3rd-and-four pass attempt. Both players collided, as the ball was underthrown.
The wide receiver was evaluated on the field and spent time in the blue medical tent before being rolled out for the remainder of the game. He underwent x-rays and left the locker room wearing a walking boot.
Rapoport laid out the details in his tweet.
#Patriots WR AJ Brown, who left last night’s opener because of an injury, is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, per me and @MikeGarafolo. X-Rays were negative for a fracture. Brown has an MRI today to determine how much time he’ll miss.
Patriots Had Tale Of Two Offenses With Brown Out
Brown had his hand in the offense on Wednesday. All told, he had three catches for 26 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per reception. He was starting to build chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye throughout the game before the injury. Following the injury, the Patriots’ offense struggled to move the football.
The Patriots had a 10-0 lead at the time of his injury. After that, New England lost one of their most potent weapons. The Patriots tried to compensate for it by getting other receivers involved. However, it did not work out as planned. Romeo Doubs had zero catches on three targets, including a costly drop in the later half of the game
Mack Hollins tried to carry the load for the team, but his production was not enough. He led all receivers with 51 yards on the evening. If there was one positive offensively, it was that tight end Eli Raridon scored a touchdown. However, the touchdown came before Brown’s injury and was the start of what appeared to be a solid evening for the Patriots offense.
Patriots Offense Struggled Overall
he struggles following Brown’s absence were just a microcosm of the evening overall for the Patriots offense. Maye went 22-of-33 on the evening, throwing for 178 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He averaged just 5.4 yards per pass attempt. In addition, the Patriots struggled without their top weapon. The quarterback threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, as the Seahawks defense was able to stifle the quarterback.
This included struggles in the red zone. The Patriots made two trips to the red zone all game, only scoring once on the evening. It was a game where offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wanted to run the football, but even that was unsuccessful. The Patriots’ rushing attack accumulated 109 yards, but 47 of those came from Maye.
This is certainly not the piece of news that Patriots fans wanted to hear. If there was one positive development in all of this, it is that the Patriots have a while before their next game. They take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 20. This gives the team almost two weeks to rest and take stock of Brown’s injury.
There is little doubt that the Patriots offense struggled without Brown on the field, and this is something worth monitoring. Any extended time could be detrimental to a Patriots offense that looked like it lost its identity once Brown went out. Patriots fans are hoping that this is something that they will not have to worry about by the time the Steelers come to town.
Patriots Get New Details on A.J. Brown Injury Following Opener