Although the NFL season has just begun, there has already been an injury.  Not an uncommon thing, of course, but it always puts a damper on things straight out of the gate.  For the New England Patriots, they will have to go without their wide receiver for the next month while A.J. Brown focuses on his recovery.

A.J. Brown at Tampa Warm-up 2025
Sep 28, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown (11) warms up on the field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A.J. Brown’s Injury

According to ESPN, sources have said that during the Wednesday night match between the Patriots and the Seahawks, Seahawks Nehemiah Pritchett fell on Seahawks A.J. Brown’s ankle, knee-first.  Brown had to support his leg as he sat up and had to take a long walk to the medical tent.  It was later announced that he would sit out for the rest of the game. The next day, an MRI confirmed that Brown had suffered a high ankle sprain in his right leg.  Luckily, it wasn’t a break or fracture, but he can’t put much weight on his right leg.  Until he recovers, someone will need to fill in for him. 

A Substitute Needed

During the Wednesday night match, the stand-in was Mack Hollins.  For the coming games, however, it is unknown who will be filling in, but the list of potential players is long.  Josh McDaniels went on sports radio WEEI to talk more about the issue.

“Any injury that you get at this time of the season, you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck approach,” McDaniels said. “We got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn’t one person on the roster that can replace anybody like A.J. …So we’ll band together and figure out what we can do well and then try to get guys in positions to play to their strengths.”

End Of A.J. Brown’s Injury Rant

The soonest that Brown can play again is mid-October, with some luck.  It was his first game with the Patriots since being traded back in June.  The rest of the team is rooting for his recovery and return in the coming weeks.  Until Brown returns, though, there’s still a month’s worth of matches coming up for the New England Patriots.