Your Seattle Seahawks didn’t just kick off the regular season with a gritty 13-10 road win against the New England Patriots last Wednesday; they also left the Pats reeling from a major injury to their new star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Seriously, what a game. Brown, a high-prized offseason trade acquisition, is now officially sidelined with a high-ankle sprain and has been placed on injured reserve. This is huge for them, and it all went down right after playing our Hawks. Oh, and just a quick note from Ian Rapoport: our own QB Sam Darnold is dealing with a glute injury too after that physical opener. Talk about a battle out there!
A.J. Brown’s Six-Week Sideline Saga Just Kicks Off The Pats’ Problems
So yeah, Brown is on IR, which means he’s going to miss at least four games, but the word on the street is way worse for New England. According to NFL Network insider Rapoport, the expectation is Brown’s absence will be more like six weeks. “My understanding is the expectation is he misses six weeks,” Rapoport said, adding, “Generally, it is four to six. This is a little more serious. Six weeks, no surgery planned.” A high-ankle sprain for a receiver is never good, right? You need that explosion off the line. Imagine trying to make cuts with that. Brown managed to pull in three passes for 26 yards in his Patriots debut, but then BAM, his ankle got cranked in the early third quarter. He was diving for an under-thrown third-down pass from Drake Maye when it happened. Dude was on the ground, clearly in pain after that play. He had to gingerly make his way to the blue medical tent on the sidelines, eventually heading to the locker room for testing, and that was it for his day.
New England’s Offense Goes Silent After The Big Man Goes Down
Guess what happened after Brown left the field? The Patriots offense did not score any more points. Not a single one! They ended up losing that opener 13-10 to your Seahawks, starting their second straight season with a rough 0-1 record. Rough! Now without Brown, their outside wide receiver group will lean on Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams. That’s a lot of pressure on those guys, especially considering what they lost. If Brown truly is out for six weeks, he’ll miss crucial games against the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills, Raiders, and Jets. That’s a tough stretch for any team, let alone one already reeling from an early season loss.
This Sunday, the Patriots will get their first extended taste of life without their star receiver when they kick off their home opener against Pittsburgh at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. It’ll be interesting to see how they adapt. No doubt their coaching staff has their work cut out for them, trying to fill the void left by a player they paid so much for, all after your Seahawks put the initial hurt on ’em. Go Hawks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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