When the New England Patriots open their season against the Seattle Seahawks tomorrow, A.J. Brown will be one of the biggest new faces in the matchup - and he’s not pretending the assignment is easy.
Brown hasn’t faced this version of Seattle, but he’s seen enough to know what New England is walking into. “Great team.
Really great team, man. The back end is really good, they play hard.
They communicate really well. They run to the ball, they tackle.”
That assessment carries some weight because Brown isn’t speaking from the outside looking in. He hasn’t played the Seahawks since late 2023, near the end of Pete Carroll’s run in Seattle, and he’s never gone up against a defense coordinated by Mike Macdonald, even back to his days with the Ravens. Still, from a distance, the picture is clear to him.
“There’s a reason why they won the super bowl,” Brown continued. “They’re really talented. We got our work cut out for us and we gotta go out there, and make plays, and communicate, and play fast, and play within ourselves.”
Brown knows the feeling of getting to the top. His Philadelphia Eagles were the most recent champions before Seattle, winning Super Bowl LIX, and Brown had three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in that game.
For New England, Brown is the offseason addition that changes the conversation. The Patriots moved on from Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte and brought in Brown and Romeo Dobbs, a shift that gives this roster a very different look at wide receiver. If the Patriots pull off the upset, Brown will be a big part of the story.
The timing doesn’t make the challenge any smaller. Seattle’s secondary is dealing with its own issues, with several defensive backs either unavailable or in limbo. That leaves a lot on Brown’s plate in a game where he already understands the margin for error is thin.
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Seahawks Could Get A Big Backfield Boost Sooner Than Expected
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For Seattle, the possibility matters because Charbonnets return would give the backfield a jolt at a point in the season when teams usually start absorbing wear and tear. Still, nothing is locked in yet. He has to pass a physical before the Seahawks can activate him, and with no firm return date in place, the team is left waiting to see whether the encouraging signs turn into an actual midseason comeback. [Read more 🡒]