A.J. Brown injury update (Getty Images)
On the opening drive of the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the newly acquired wide receiver suffered an ankle injury early in the third quarter and was ruled questionable to return. On a third-and-4 play, Drake Maye attempted to connect with Brown on a quick slant. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport both confirmed the team listed him as questionable with an ankle injury.
“And they’re even higher than expectations I have myself,” he said of head coach Mike Vrabel. A.J. Brown’s Patriots debut lasted less than three quarters. The pass was underthrown, forcing Brown to go to the ground, and Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett landed directly on his right ankle while breaking up the ball. Brown was seen grabbing his lower leg before limping off. He did not return. Brown walked off under his own power and went into the blue medical tent for further evaluation before heading to the locker room. The latest update had Brown limping to the locker room, which dimmed his chances of returning. Going into the game, Brown had spoken about the standard his coaches hold him to. Lose Brown for any extended period and that equation gets harder to solve. Without Brown as the clear WR1, Romeo Doubs was largely invisible throughout the game, making the offensive picture look thin.
That mindset was on full display before the injury brought everything to a halt. Running back TreVeyon Henderson was already ruled out before the game with an ankle injury of his own, which further limited New England’s ground attack and put more pressure on Maye to throw.