The New England Patriots will be without their star wide receiver A.J. Brown for a while.
An MRI confirmed on Thursday that Brown suffered a high ankle sprain, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. He’s expected to miss at least 4 weeks, per Rapoport with Shultz saying he can miss anywhere from three to six weeks with the ankle injury.
The timetable seems to indicate that Brown is a candidate to placed on injured reserve.
Brown suffered the injury during the third quarter of Wednesday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with the 29-year-old receiver grabbing his lower right leg area after the incompletion. Brown stayed down while athletic staff tended to him before he was helped off the field.
After the game, Brown was spotted leaving the locker room in a walking boot on his right foot. Prior to leaving the game, Brown had three receptions for 26 yards.
Overall, it wasn’t the best night for the Patriots, with quarterback Drake Maye throwing a mind-boggling interception to basically end the game, and receiver Romeo Doubs notably failing to grab any of his three targets, including a brutal drop in the second half. The Seahawks rallied to a 13-10 win after scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Given the recovery timeline, it’s possible the Patriots will choose to place Brown on injured reserve, which will require him to miss the next four games. New England’s next game isn’t until Sept. 20 (as a result of the unusual Wednesday opener), but a four-week absence would land Brown’s return somewhere around the Patriots’ Week 6 game against the New York Jets.
