A.J. Brown turned in his best game as a Patriot Thursday night, and it was still well below the level the team expected when it traded for him this offseason.
Brown caught three passes for 48 yards but failed to haul in multiple deep targets that could have shifted the tides in what ended up a 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. He has yet to cross the 50-yard mark since arriving in New England, even if the sample size is admittedly small.
In two games since returning from injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, Brown has caught only six of the 16 passes he’s been thrown, for only 75 yards and with at least four drops.
After struggling badly in his first game back on Sunday against the Jets, with three dropped passes and a nearly-botched onsides kick at game’s end, Brown was better against the Patriots – but only incrementally.
When the Patriots traded a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder Brown, they were clearly hoping for WR1 production. All told this season, Brown has nine catches for 101 yards in about 10 quarters of work.
PBU?
Drop?
DPI?
Here’s Drake Maye’s gorgeous deep shot for A.J. Brown. pic.twitter.com/oLT0WLDDAq
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 23, 2026
Brown said Thursday that he’s trying to be patient.
“I’m a vet, I understand how the game goes,” Brown said after the loss. “It’s just how the game is. I know what type of player I am, and I know that that’s always the case: Every time I line up, I get a lot of attention. Teams try to take me away, and it gives a lot of opportunities to other guys to make plays and soften that up for me. And then whenever I get my shots, I have to make them.”
The Patriots still threw the ball effectively against the Bears, but Brown hasn’t elevated this offense yet. With Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins both on injured reserve, the need is there for Brown to step up as Drake Maye’s top target.
Can Brown turn this season around? The Patriots are counting on it, but the return on investment has been poor to this point.
Brown’s regression started last season
Brown’s 2025 struggles with the Eagles were often chalked up to a diminished relationship with QB Jalen Hurts, a struggling passing offense and poor usage. The Patriots clearly still believed that Brown still possessed game-changing talent and perhaps looked at the production in his final eight regular-season games last season (49-608-4 receiving), even while considering his three-catch playoff stinker, as evidence that he could still cook.
But the big picture isn’t that pretty. Brown was down on the whole in 2025, and he’s playing at an even sparser level so far in three games in New England.
A.J. Brown
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.2025 season
Yards per route run — 2.09 (lowest of career)
YAC per reception — 3.4 (lowest of career)
Yards per target — 8.29 (2nd lowest of career)2026 season
Yards per route run — 1.22 (lowest of career)
YAC per reception — 2.6 (lowest of career)
Yards per…— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) October 23, 2026
The Patriots have to hope this is merely a mini-slump and a return from a tough injury, not something that’s indicative of a downward career turn. Right now, it’s not clear how productive he can be with this offense, even as it’s on the uptick in recent weeks.
Against the Bears, Maye was 3-of-6 passing for 48 yards when targeting Brown. Targeting everyone else, Maye was 21-of-25 for 273 and two touchdowns and an interception. Of course, most of his production went to Patriots tight ends and running backs; wide receivers not named Brown caught only four passes for 39 yards on six targets, so it wasn’t just Brown failing to produce at that position.
Brown’s injury and two games in a five-day span also must be considered. The Patriots will have a 10-day break before facing the Dolphins in Miami, so there will be additional time for Brown to get healthy and regain chemistry with his quarterback.
But after the game, Brown said he was in a good place physically.
“I feel fine,” he said when asked about playing in the short-week game.
Asked if there has been an adjustment period, rejoining the Patriots after missing parts of five games, Brown said: “I guess you could say that. But there’s no time for that. … I just gotta try to put my best foot forward and try to make plays and keep going.”
There’s no panic yet, but the Patriots will need Brown to start showing he can be a consistent producer. That’s what they paid for and that’s what can take this improving offense from good to great – and possibly compensate for the defense when it has tougher nights, such as on Thursday, when the tackling was poor and the Bears sprung several big pass plays.
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p style=”text-align:left”>After Miami, the Patriots have two tough NFC North games (vs. Green Bay, at Detroit) before the bye – and the schedule picks up even more after that. The Patriots have the 13th-hardest remaining schedule, with a combined winning percentage of .509 among their 10 opponents.
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