The New England Patriots are sitting at 4-2 after a tight home win over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon, but the bigger conversation from that game has centered on A.J. Brown’s uneven return.
Brown came back from an ankle injury and immediately had a rough afternoon, committing multiple costly mistakes in the victory. One of the biggest came late, when he muffed an onside kick. New England was fortunate to recover it anyway, avoiding a situation where New York could have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie or win.
That performance drew a blistering critique from ESPN analyst and former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who went in with a bizarre personal jab.
“You know I’m an expert in a few things, and one of them is feet,” he said, noting that Brown had “feet for hands” in this game, per Saca312 on Reddit.
Ryan has long been open about his affinity for feet, and he clearly leaned into that bit while tearing into Brown’s play. The remark made the roundtable crack up, but it also underscored just how badly Brown’s return went.
Brown had been sidelined since the first half of the Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. New England will need a cleaner version of him moving forward if it wants to get the most out of its offense.
Even so, the mood around the Patriots is better than it was after their rocky 1-2 start. Quarterback Drake Maye has also started to find his rhythm again after a rough opening stretch.
The Patriots’ next test comes Thursday night on the road against the Chicago Bears, with kickoff set for 8:15 pm ET.
In Other News...
Patriots Rookie Suddenly Has A Veteran Starter Under Real Pressure
The Patriots have spent the first six games of the 2026 season patching together an offensive line that has been hit by injuries to Mike Onwenu, Ben Brown, Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and the latest solution has come from an unexpected source. Rookie Caleb Lomu has been pressed into duty at right tackle and, despite limited experience at the spot, has looked far more ready than most first-year linemen are when they are thrown into the fire.
Lomus play has put real pressure on the veteran starter ahead of him on the depth chart, especially with Moses status still unclear. If the injury keeps Moses sidelined much longer, the Patriots may have to make a decision they probably hoped to avoid this early in the year, because Lomu has already shown enough to make the conversation more than theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Brown's Return Leaves Patriots Facing One Immediate Concern
A.J. Brown was back on the field for the Patriots in their Week 6 win over the Jets after sitting out more than a month, and the overall result offered a useful reminder of how much this offense can still function with other pieces carrying the load. New England got enough from its passing game to win, with multiple players chipping in for receiving yards and touchdowns even as Brown worked his way back into the mix.
Still, the return did not look especially clean on Browns end, which is where the immediate concern comes in. He was heavily involved but did not turn that volume into much production, a sign there is still some rust to knock off as the Patriots turn quickly to a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Bears. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Maye Is Rolling But The Patriots Have A Bigger Worry
Drake Maye keeps giving the Patriots reason to believe, and the latest step came in another win over the Jets in Week 6. New England has now strung together three straight victories, and Mayes recent run has only sharpened the focus around what the offense can become if the supporting cast keeps holding up around him.
Even with injuries piling up along the offensive line, the Patriots got a steady showing from their backups, with rookie Caleb Lomu stepping in and helping keep the pocket clean. That protection mattered against a divisional opponent, and it only deepened the sense that the bigger question in Foxborough is not what Maye can do right now, but how long the team can keep this version of the offense intact. [Read more 🡒]