Since a shaky 1-2 start that featured surprising struggles from quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots have been on a roll.
New England edged the division-rival Buffalo Bills in Week 4 and blew out the Las Vegas Raiders during Week 5 in a game that saw No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza make his NFL debut.
Now, the Patriots could get star wide receiver A.J. Brown back from injury in the near future.
New England will host the New York Jets in Week 6 on Sunday afternoon, which still may be a long shot for Brown’s return date according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The Patriots are dealing with a host of injury concerns on offense, including second-year starting left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle).
The latter’s ailment could reportedly sideline the explosive rusher for multiple weeks, leaving the backfield in the hands of veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Brown’s eventual return to Maye’s offense should be a huge boon to a team that’s averaged 37 points over the last two contests after posting just 12 points per tilt from Weeks 1 to 3.
The three-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher had four straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and has reached the milestone in six of his seven NFL campaigns.
Brown recorded three catches for 26 yards on four targets in his New England debut in Week 1 before suffering his ankle injury.