Patriots place A.J. Brown on injured reserve with high-ankle sprain, out at least four weeks

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown was placed on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain sustained during Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, per ESPN and CBS Sports. An MRI confirmed the sprain, which is expected to sideline him for at least four weeks. X-rays did not reveal a fracture. Brown suffered the injury early in the third quarter while attempting to catch a low throw from rookie quarterback Drake Maye, according to CBS Sports. Brown's ankle bent awkwardly when trapped between the ground and Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, whose right knee appeared to land on Brown's ankle with his body weight, per ESPN. Brown was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot after the game. With Brown sidelined at least four weeks, he will miss games against Pittsburgh (September 20), Jacksonville (September 27), Buffalo (October 4), Las Vegas (October 11), and New York Jets (October 18). At the time of his departure, Brown had recorded three catches for 26 yards and drawn a 34-yard pass interference penalty on an underthrown deep ball off a flea flicker. Earlier in the same game, Brown helped set up the Patriots' first touchdown by coming back for an underthrown deep pass from Maye and drawing a defensive pass interference penalty that led to a 2-yard touchdown reception by rookie tight end Eli Raridon. The Patriots went on to lose to Seattle 13-10, per CBS Sports. Maye threw three interceptions in the game, including one in the end zone at the end of regulation. Maye addressed the play that resulted in Brown's injury after the game, telling CBS Sports: "I threw one low to him and should have hit him in the chest. I've got to make a better play and make a better throw for him." Safety Kevin Byard said he "went and checked in" on Brown in the training room and spoke to him briefly, noting Brown was "in good spirits." Brown was acquired by the Patriots on June 1 in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, for which New England sent a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick, per ESPN. The trade was part of a major effort by New England to upgrade Maye's receiving options. The Patriots also signed free agents Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker and drafted tackle Caleb Lomu, while trading former starter Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans. Romeo Doubs, signed to a four-year, $68 million free agent contract in the offseason, had a costly drop in his Patriots debut and finished without a catch, per ESPN. Veteran Mack Hollins took over the majority of Brown's role after he left early in the third quarter. On the depth chart are slot receiver DeMario Douglas (four-year veteran), second-year players Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels addressed the loss on Thursday during an appearance on WEEI, per ESPN. McDaniels said: "Any injury that you get at this time of the season, you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck approach. We got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn't one person on the roster that can replace anybody like A.J. -- in the middle of a game or a stretch of a season. So we'll band together and figure out what we can do well and then try to get guys in positions to play to their strengths."