A.J. Brown is Back to Ruin the Jets' Weekend
Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots will likely activate Brown off Injured Reserve to play against the Jets.
The are about to walk into Foxborough at the exact wrong time.
According to Ian Rapoport, the are expected to activate star wide receiver off injured reserve ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup. Brown has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain but logged limited practice sessions all week and carries an official questionable tag.
High-ankle sprains usually turn explosive wide receivers into high-priced decoys for a month, but Brown operates on a different physical spectrum. This is a guy who casually racked up 1,079 receiving yards last season despite missing three games, proving his baseline production is still better than most receivers playing a full schedule.
Getting an alpha target back is a massive luxury for a team that is already finding its groove. Head coach Mike Vrabel has the Patriots sitting at 3-2, and they just hung 45 points on the last week without their best perimeter weapon.
Dropping Brown back into an offense led by makes life infinitely easier for the quarterback and a total nightmare for the opposing secondary.
Meanwhile, the Jets are limping into this AFC East clash missing their own offensive engine. Running back has already been ruled out with a quad injury, leaving severely outgunned.
Anyone staring at the weekend prop markets needs to adjust their math accordingly. One offense is getting its primary game-breaker back on the field, while the other is trying to manufacture points without its most reliable player.
The managed to scrape out a 17-12 win over the last week, but trying to keep pace with a healthy Brown is a completely different assignment.
We will get the official activation news before Sunday's kickoff. If Brown is fully cleared, expect the to test that ankle early and see if he is ready to immediately return to ruining defensive coordinators' weekends.