A.J. Brown drops three passes in Patriots win over Jets after injury absence
Brown caught three passes for 27 yards in his return to New England’s lineup. He said his timing was off, while quarterback Drake Maye and coach Mike Vrabel backed him to improve.
A.J. Brown dropped three passes in his return to the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 18, as they beat the New York Jets 26-19 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The receiver caught three of 10 targets for 27 yards after missing four games with an ankle injury, leaving New England with questions about how quickly its passing connection with him will settle back into place.
ESPN described the three drops as a career high. Brown also muffed an attempt to recover a late Jets onside kick, but teammate Eli Raridon secured the ball. The Patriots held on for the seven-point win despite the missed opportunities.
Brown says his timing was off
Brown told ESPN that his timing was off and took responsibility for the catches he missed. ‘I'm much better than what I put on display today. There's no excuses. I'll be better,’ he said. Asked whether returning from injury affected his play, he again said there were no excuses and that he expected to make each catch.
One missed chance came early in the second quarter, when a deep throw from quarterback Drake Maye went through Brown's hands after he had separated from a defender. ESPN also reported a drop on a third-and-five slant. Brown played 52 of a possible 67 offensive snaps, according to NFL Next Gen Stats figures cited by ESPN, and said he came out of the game healthy.
AS USA also recorded three drops and listed Brown's longest completion at 15 yards. He finished without a receiving touchdown and averaged nine yards on his three catches. Those numbers show how little of his 10-target workload became completed passes in his first game back.
Maye and Vrabel back Brown after Jets win
Maye completed 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, according to ESPN. He said he was glad to have Brown back and looked forward to building their connection. Maye said he would keep throwing Brown's way, pointing to the receiver's hands, releases and ability to get open even after Sunday's mistakes.
Coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that Brown could have made more plays. He noted that the receiver had been out for a while, said Brown and the team both held high expectations for his performance, and expressed confidence that he would help the Patriots over the rest of the season.
Brown's absence followed a right high ankle sprain sustained in Week 1. He said he expected to be ready for the Patriots' Thursday road game against the Chicago Bears. New England could also be without receiver Romeo Doubs, who left the Jets game with a shoulder injury and did not return, ESPN reported.
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Sources and context
- Patriots' A.J. Brown has career-high 3 dropped passes in return from injuryESPN (Mike Reiss)
- A.J. Brown stats today: Patriots WR’s catches, yards, and drops vs. JetsAS USA (Jennifer Bubel)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.