From Newsweek · Keagan Stiefel · · 1m 10s
A.J. Brown's absence just got longer
New England's biggest offseason addition may sit six weeks, and the schedule ahead is brutal.
In brief
New England's biggest offseason addition may sit six weeks, and the schedule ahead is brutal. Plan for six weeks without Brown, not four, and the Patriots face four playoff teams in that stretch. Originally reported by Newsweek.
Brown lands on IR
The Patriots placed wide receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve Friday, which sidelines him for at least four weeks.
Four weeks became six
Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Brown is expected to need more time than the club first thought. Jordan Schultz had the original four-week estimate.
“My understanding is the expectation is that he misses six weeks”
Serious, but no surgery
Rapoport framed it as worse than the usual timeline for this kind of injury, though Brown is not scheduled to go under the knife.
“Generally these are four-to-six (week injuries), but this is a little more serious. Six weeks, no surgery planned.”
The schedule gets mean
New England has the league's hardest three-week stretch and meets four playoff teams from last season while Brown sits.
Six games to survive
Through Week 7 it's Pittsburgh, at Jacksonville, at Buffalo, Las Vegas, the Jets, then at Chicago. Brown likely misses every one.
Doubs and Hollins step up
The two veteran receivers, who reacted very differently to the news, now carry the load. Hollins kept it simple about moving on.
“Keep playing. I wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again.”
The headline
Plan for six weeks without Brown, not four, and the Patriots face four playoff teams in that stretch.
