A.J. Brown Injury Leaves Patriots' Passing Game in Jeopardy

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown is headed to the injured reserve list and will be out for the next four games, according to multiple reports. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain during the Patriots' season-opening loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Brown was acquired via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason, with the Patriots surrendering a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for his services. He was expected to serve as Drake Maye's No. 1 target throughout this season.

Before the injury, which occurred early in the third quarter, Brown had caught three passes for 26 yards on four targets. New England's passing game fell apart down the stretch after Brown left the game, with Maye throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions as the Patriots blew their lead and eventually lost the Super Bowl rematch.

Now, they'll be without Brown for at least the next month. Brown will miss games against the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills and Raiders, at minimum. The earliest he is eligible to return to the fold is in Week 6 against the Jets.

Who steps up for New England?

New England could be in a bit of trouble without Brown as the focal point of the passing game. We saw on Wednesday night just how thin the receiver room is; after trading Kayshon Boutte toward the end of training camp, the Patriots are left with Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Demario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III as their wideouts with Brown on the shelf.

Doubs had a miserable debut game, going catch-less on three targets, with one of them resulting in an interception in a contested catch situation where he did not make a good play on the ball and another resulting in a brutal drop. After signing a four-year, $68 million contract with the Pats this offseason, he arguably could not have played any worse. He needs to be considerably better moving forward, as the Patriots need him to step up with Brown sidelined.

Hollins is a coach's favorite and a terrific blocker, but he's not a particularly dangerous receiving threat. He's never averaged more than 40.6 receiving yards per game in a given season. Even after he recorded 51 yards in the opener, he can't reasonably be counted on as a top option for Maye over the next four weeks. He's more of a complementary player, which is fine when you have your foundational player on the field, but more of an issue when he's not, and Hollins is thrust into a greater role.

Douglas saw seven targets in the opener and caught five of them, but for only 20 yards. He's typically been a short-area slot man throughout his career who can occasionally threaten defenses down the field. He can help move the chains but he's likely not going to emerge as a primary target.

Williams had just 10 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, and he played only 12 snaps in the opener despite Brown's injury. He has a dynamism that some of the other receivers in the room lack and has shown out in preseason games, but he apparently has not yet earned the coaches' trust enough to become a real presence in the rotation during regular-season games. That might need to change if the Pats are going to survive or thrive during Brown's absence, though. Chism was active for only eight games last season, catching three passes for 75 yards and playing mostly on special teams. He wasn't active for the opener, but that will presumably change with Brown out.

All of them will be expected to contribute in their own ways without Brown, but it's hard to imagine that they'll be able to do it alone.

Patriots' options without A.J. Brown

PlayerPositionWeek 1 statsRomeo DoubsWR0 receptions on 3 targetsMack HollinsWR4 receptions, 51 yards on 5 targetsDemario DouglasWR5 receptions, 20 yards on 7 targetsKyle WilliamsWR12 offensive snapsEfton Chism IIIWRInactiveHunter HenryTE3 receptions, 26 yards on 3 targetsEli RaridonTE1 reception, 2 yards, 1 touchdownRhamondre StevensonRB18 carries, 51 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 44 receiving yards on 6 targetsTreVeyon HendersonRBAnkle injury

The Patriots might have to lean more on multi-tight-end sets with Hunter Henry and rookie Eli Raridon if their receivers can't make up for Brown's absence. Henry has been a top target for Maye in his first two seasons, and he'll need to be even more of one now. Raridon caught the season's first touchdown pass on the goal line and had a very good training camp, but being called on for significant action so early in the season probably wasn't in the team's plans. Again, that might have to change quickly.

The running backs will also play a major role in the passing game. Rhamondre Stevenson caught five balls in the opener and has been a solid passing-game option throughout his career. TreVeyon Henderson is probably New England's best big-play threat now that Brown is out for a while and will have to be involved, but it remains to be seen if the Pats trust his blocking enough to have him on the field often enough to generate those explosives.

No matter how you slice it, this is a major setback for a New England passing attack that was among the most efficient in the league last season. Maye made do with a similar-quality receiving corps last year, but that was against a considerably weaker schedule of pass defenses than the one he'll face this season. He won't go up against the Seahawks and the Dark Side defense every week, but it's likely going to be tougher sledding than it was a year ago -- at least until Brown gets back in the lineup and back up to speed.