The New England Patriots are working through their mini-bye after losing a heartbreaker on Thursday night against the Chicago Bears, 30-24. Now, the Patriots are sitting at 4-3 and are still right in the middle of the AFC playoff picture.
Of course, one of the stories of the last few weeks in New England was the return of star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown was traded to the Patriots this offseason in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he suffered an ankle injury in his first game with the team.
Brown has been back for two weeks now, but he hasn't looked like his usual self. He has dropped some passes that he wouldn't usually drop and hasn't been the same contested catch threat that fans have gotten used to seeing during his career.
Despite that, head coach Mike Vrabel is not worried about his star receiver. He assured that there are no concerns about Brown's level of play this week on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI, as shared by Justin Turpin.
“No, I don’t have any concern,” Vrabel said. “No.”
He expanded on that, citing that Brown just has to get back into a rhythm.
Article Continues Below“I thought that he dropped a few passes, and then the other night there was a contested catch that — I’ve seen him make those plays in the past, I’ve seen those plays get called for DPI, and I’ve seen those plays be good plays by the defense down the field,” he said. “So, I don’t think anybody has to press here or anything else. I think we just have to get back into a rhythm offensively with the guys that we have.”
Drake Maye is starting to play some of his best football of the season, so it feels like only a matter of time until he and Brown get on the same page and become one of the best duos in the league. With Romeo Doubs now on IR due to a shoulder injury, the Patriots need the Maye-Brown connection to blossom sooner rather than later.