‘Cancel the Season,’ ‘Horrible Start’ — NFL World Reacts As A.J. Brown Suffers Scary Injury in Patriots-Seahawks Week 1 Clash
· Yahoo Sports
While the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots trade blows in a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch to begin the 2026 campaign, they’ve also each been dealt a couple of major injuries.
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After quarterback Sam Darnold was ruled out for the Seahawks with a hip injury, three-time All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown soon followed suit.
Patriots’ A.J. Brown Exits Primetime Matchup With Ankle Injury
Brown, who was traded to the Patriots from the Philadelphia Eagles this past summer, suffered an ankle injury early in the second half of Wednesday night’s inaugural game of the season. His ankle was caught up in the turf while attempting to make a catch.
“A.J. Brown hurt? Just cancel the season,” writes RotoWire’s Ian Hartitz.
The 29-year-old Brown was able to walk off the field on his own and was later shown limping to the locker room for further evaluation. One user on X believes that a better-placed ball from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye would’ve helped Brown avoid the injury.
“If Drake Maye doesn’t throw a ham sandwich, A.J. Brown doesn’t have to bend down and get rolled up on,” he wrote.
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One analyst took more of a humorous approach to the situation, lacing it with levity, perhaps as a way to cope with Brown’s injury dealing a disastrous blow to his fantasy team.
“Sam Darnold already hurt. AJ Brown already hurt. Horrible start to the season,” wrote another fan.
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Brown’s numbers had already slipped in his final season in Philadelphia, and PFN’s WR Impact Metric backed that up. He finished 2025 ranked 12th among all wide receivers with a 79.9 impact score, after totaling 1,003 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 78 catches over 15 games. That was his lowest full-season yardage output since 2021.
He was one of two new additions to the Patriots’ receiving corps this past offseason, along with former Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs. In an effort to whittle down the numbers, they traded Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans last month, creating even more opportunities at the top of the depth chart for Brown.
If he’s out for an extended period of time, either Doubs or DeMario Douglas will presumably move into the No. 1 role.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
