A.J. Brown’s return should have energized the New England Patriots fans, and it certainly did, but the excitement stayed only until the start of the game, as after that, there was nothing in the wide receiver’s performance against the New York Jets that could make anyone happy.

He recorded 3 receptions in his return from injury, which would anger fans who did not watch the game, as Brown is a player who needs more than three receptions to make himself known in a game. However, the real reason behind the three receptions was his inability to catch the ball on the day. He only managed to record three receptions out of the 10 attempts thrown at him against the New York Jets.

The Super Bowl LIX MVP dropped three catches in the game, including one that could have been a touchdown pass. There was another crucial moment where Brown’s poor display could have cost the Patriots the game. With 32 seconds remaining, the Jets attempted an onside kick, the ball slipped through Brown’s hands again but his teammate Eli Raridon was able to recover the ball safely.

After the game, Brown made no excuses for his performance against the Jets.

A.J. Brown wants to ‘get going’ soon

This was Brown’s first game since the high ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. It was expected that he would take time to settle in, but Brown was not ready to use his return as an excuse for the poor performance.

“No matter whatever question you guys ask, I’ll tell you guys there’s no excuses… Ankle or not, I’ll make all those plays,” said Brown in the locker room. “Short week, just trying to get going again and put my best foot forward, put this to bed really fast, I’m going to watch the tape and it’s over, I’m going to flush it.”

Brown was the Patriots’ biggest addition in the offseason. He was the player expected to take them over the hump. So far, he has not been able to prove that bringing him in was the right move, but with more than half of the season remaining, Brown has the chance to silence the doubters.

Drake Maye, who started the season with a string of poor performances, was called out by many analysts. However, he has stepped up for the Patriots; all they now need is their star WR Brown to get back to his usual self. Having won three games in a row, Mike Vrabel’s men are finally showing the world why they deserved their place in the Super Bowl last season. Once Brown gets firing, they definitely look like a team that could make a push to win the AFC East division title.