The Patriots are staring at at least a month without A.J. Brown after the receiver suffered a high-ankle sprain, and that absence puts a lot more weight on the rest of the passing game.
Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams will all be asked to help fill the gap, with Williams potentially headed for the biggest role of his NFL career so far. But Hunter Henry may end up mattering just as much as anyone.
Henry has been Drake Maye’s most reliable connection since Maye became New England’s starting quarterback, and that relationship is going to be critical now. Maye’s offseason was already a rough one. He lost two of his favorite targets in Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, and this will be his third straight year working with a notably different setup after previously having Jerod Mayo as head coach and Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator as a rookie.
For Maye, Henry has been the steady hand. The Arkansas native caught three passes on three targets for 26 yards and a first down in the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and he’s coming off what was arguably the best season of his NFL career: 768 yards on 60 receptions, plus a team-high seven touchdown catches.
That kind of reliability becomes even more valuable with Brown out. Maye is trying to bounce back from a brutal opener, and doing it without Brown only makes the challenge bigger. Henry isn’t the only Patriot who has to step up, but his chemistry with the UNC alum means he should be expecting plenty of targets.
Brown’s absence also changes what New England can do down the field. His value wasn’t just in the catches he would make; it was in the way he could stretch a defense. He was supposed to be the receiver who could take the top off and give Maye, one of the league’s better deep-ball throwers last season, a real weapon on vertical throws.
Without the three-time All-Pro, that part of the offense gets a lot harder to access. New England will need more from the run game, which also has to improve, and more from short- and intermediate-range passing. That’s where Henry has lived for much of his career, and that’s why the Patriots are likely to lean on him heavily while Brown is sidelined.
In Other News...
Robert Kraft Is Now At The Center Of A Growing NFL Controversy
Robert Kraft has landed in the middle of a messy music-world fight after reportedly pushing Macklemore off Ed Sheerans tour in response to comments the rapper made during a Sept. 4 show. Kraft, who cited those remarks and a history of antisemitic rhetoric as reasons for the removal, also made a $2 million pledge for humanitarian aid after a phone call with Sheeran, turning what started as a concert controversy into something much bigger.
The story has quickly widened beyond two performers and one tour stop. Other stadium owners, including David Tepper, Arthur Blank and Jeffrey Lurie, were reported to back Krafts stance, while several of Sheerans opening acts have since withdrawn from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving the situation unresolved and the fallout still spreading. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Coaches Are Already Talking Up One Rookies Week 1 Impact
Namdi Obiazor didnt need a flash play to make an impression in his first regular-season outing. The rookie linebacker was mostly a special teams presence in the Patriots opener, logging 20 snaps there and making two tackles on kickoffs, a useful debut for a player still working behind other linebackers on the depth chart.
What stood out was how quickly New Englands coaches moved to spotlight him. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and inside linebackers coach Vinny DePalma both praised Obiazors effort and upside, suggesting the Patriots already view him as more than a fill-in on coverage units. If that early trust holds, his role on special teams could become one of the more interesting rookie developments to follow this season. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Injury Report Could Change Everything Against Pittsburgh
The Patriots Week 2 prep has already taken on a different feel with the injury report becoming as important as the matchup itself. New England released its latest list alongside Pittsburgh, and it offers a clearer picture of who is tracking toward Sunday and who is still working through problems. For the Patriots, the mix is uneven: Dametrious Crownover and Carlton Davis III were among the players who did not take part in recent practices because of injuries, while Robert Spillane and TreVeyon Henderson are expected to suit up.
Pittsburgh has its own questions, with Michael Pittmans status uncertain and Joey Porter Jr. looking unlikely to play. For a game that could hinge on a handful of matchups and a few key absences, both sides are monitoring the final availability closely. The Patriots will get a better sense of how much flexibility they have only when the rest of the weeks practice work is done, and there is still room for the picture to shift before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]