The New England Patriots opened the 2026 campaign with a sorely disappointing 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Despite going up against an offense led by backup quarterback Drew Lock, the Patriots could not do enough against the Seahawks’ talented defense to get over the hump in this one.
While Sam Darnold‘s injury early in the first quarter obviously changed the tides of the game, you can make an argument that A.J. Brown‘s ankle injury was more consequential, as the Pats’ offense fell apart after he was forced out of the game. Reports indicate Brown has suffered a high-ankle sprain, and while more testing will be done, it sounds like a stint on injured reserve could be in the talented wide receiver’s future.
Patriots May Be Forced to Place A.J. Brown on Injured Reserve
Brown was the crown jewel of the Patriots’ offseason work, as the team picked him up in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles after months of speculation. While he only had three catches for 26 yards before his injury, his impact on the offense was tough to miss, as his presence alone helped open things up in the passing game.
With Brown on the field, New England had a guy who could get open against man coverage at its disposal. That forced the Seahawks to be wary of sending heavy blitzes at Drake Maye, as it would expose them to the possibility of a big catch-and-run play for Brown. Once he was forced out of the game, it wasn’t too surprising to see Seattle’s defense become more and more aggressive.
It would have been one thing if the Patriots managed to escape this game with a win, but they didn’t, and now they have to prepare for the possibility of playing without Brown for the foreseeable future. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Brown is likely looking at a four-to-six-week recovery timeline, which could result in the team placing him on injured reserve, meaning he would miss at least the next four games.
A.J. Brown is going to have an MRI a little later this morning, just to see how long he is going to be out,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.” “Generally, high-ankle sprains can be about four to six weeks, so that would put short-term injured reserve in play for A.J. Brown, just to allow his roster spot to be filled and to allow him the time to heal.
Patriots Have Important A.J. Brown Decision Looming
The Patriots are going to do more tests on Brown before making a final decision on his status, but with at least a month-long recovery timeline appearing to be in his future, a trip to injured reserve would seemingly make sense. New England made Efton Chism III a healthy scratch for this game, so he would likely become a bigger part of the plan if Brown is forced to miss time.
In the immediate aftermath of Brown’s injury, Mack Hollins and Demario Douglas stepped up, but big-name free agent signing Romeo Doubs struggled, as he failed to record a single catch and had a crucial drop in the fourth quarter that was immediately followed by Drake Maye’s second interception of the night. Regardless of Brown’s status, the Pats are going to need to be better in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers if they want to pick up their first win of the season.
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