The New England Patriots are officially facing a receiver crisis.
Patriots wideout AJ Brown has formally been diagnosed with a right high-ankle sprain, Mike Reiss of ESPN reported on Thursday. Reiss adds that Brown is now expected to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
The three-time All-Pro Brown was New England’s big addition of the offseason, arriving in a June trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had three catches for 26 yards in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesdday before getting hurt.
Brown was injured during the third quarter at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. after going to the ground on an underthrown ball by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and getting his ankle rolled on by Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, who successfully broke up the pass. As a result, many fans on social media blamed Maye for the injury.
The 29-year-old Brown will now likely be out of commission through mid-October, creating a difficult situation for the Patriots (who lost 13-10 to the Seahawks on Wednesday). New England just traded away receiver wide Kayshon Boutte a few weeks ago, leaving Romeo Doubs (who struggled with drops and a limited role against Seattle), Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams as their WR corps for the indefinite future.
The Patriots will face Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Buffalo, and Las Vegas over the next four weeks. That might be a tough stretch to navigate for them without the services of their undisputed WR1 Brown.
