With A.J. Brown out for at least another month because of a high-ankle sprain, the Patriots are leaning into the one thing they can control: spreading the ball around and making sure the offense doesn’t get stuck waiting on a single playmaker to save it.
That’s the only sensible approach. Brown is the kind of receiver who changes how defenses line up, and New England doesn’t have another player who can step into that role and give the offense the same kind of vertical punch.
Trying to manufacture one would be a mistake. Instead, Josh McDaniels appears ready to do what he’s done before - build an offense that works without a true No. 1 target, something he’s handled as recently as Mac Jones’ rookie season in New England.
The first test of that plan came in Week 2, and it went about as well as the Patriots could have hoped. New England beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3, and the ball kept moving to just about everybody who took a snap on offense.
Nine different Patriots caught a pass in the win. Romeo Doubs had a much-needed bounceback.
Hunter Henry finished with three receptions on a team-high five targets. Eli Raridon hauled in a 30-yard catch.
Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism and Reggie Gilliam all chipped in as well.
Replacing a three-time All-Pro receiver like Brown was never going to be simple, and it won’t be the work of one player. The rest of the offense has to carry that load together, and in Week 2, it did enough to get the job done.
The Patriots would obviously love to have Brown back as soon as possible, because this offense won’t hit its ceiling without him. But for now, their answer without him has a chance to hold up, and the win over Pittsburgh offered proof that the plan can work.
In Other News...
Patriots Are At The Center Of Another NFL Rules Crackdown
The NFL has tightened its game-day presentation rules in a move that again puts the Patriots in the middle of a familiar conversation about competitive edges. A new policy now limits what can be shown on video boards during field goal and extra point attempts, requiring either a static image or the same all-22 camera angle for both teams.
The change is designed to keep the visual backdrop identical on both sides and avoid the kind of confusion the Patriots were accused of creating during the Bill Belichick era. It is the latest reminder that when New England finds a loophole, the league tends to notice - and eventually close it. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Win Didn't Silence One Big Drake Maye Concern
The Patriots finally got into the win column with a 20-3 victory over the Steelers, but the cleanest part of the afternoon may have been the scoreboard rather than the performance. Mike Vrabel came away encouraged enough to trust Drake Maye, even as the young quarterbacks early-season decision-making and interception issues remained part of the conversation around the offense.
Maye did not duck the issue after the game, owning his mistakes and pointing the focus back to execution. For New England, the result offered some relief and a chance to build, but it did not erase the bigger questions about how consistently the offense can protect the ball and turn promising stretches into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
DK Metcalf Is Making The Patriots Look Smarter By The Week
The Patriots have spent years trying to land a true difference-maker at wide receiver, and that chase eventually led them to A.J. Brown in 2025. Before that, though, DK Metcalf had been one of the big names tied to New England, a player whose size and speed made him an obvious fit on paper for a team searching for a reliable field-stretcher and matchup problem on the outside.
Instead, Metcalf ended up in Pittsburgh, and the early returns have only sharpened the contrast. His production there has been shaky enough to make the Patriots old interest look more like a near miss than a lost opportunity, especially for a team that has been cautious about overpaying for wideouts. For New England, the larger takeaway is familiar: sometimes the move you dont make ends up looking just as important as the one you do. [Read more 🡒]