A.J. Brown believed to have suffered high-ankle sprain in loss to Seahawks: Source

SEATTLE – The New England Patriots will likely be without star receiver AJ Brown for at least one game and many more.

According to the source of the team, Brown is believed to have suffered a right high ankle sprain, an injury that typically sidelines NFL players two to six weeks. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were. He was not allowed to speak publicly about the situation.

Brown is scheduled for further medical testing Thursday to determine the severity of the injury and determine when he can return. He made his debut for the Patriots on Wednesday night when he suffered the injury in the third quarter. 13-10 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.

The looming question up front for the Patriots may be whether or not to place Brown on injured reserve. If they do, it would free up roster space but mean Brown would have to sit out at least four games.

Making matters even more difficult for New England is that the team traded receiver Kaishon Booth two weeks ago, in part because of Brown and free agent signing Romeo Dobbs, whose role has diminished.

Now that Brown is out for at least a week, the Patriots are looking to step up a few players. For starters, the Dubs need to be better than they were against the Patriots when they dropped a wide-open pass in the fourth quarter. He finished with no catches on three targets.

New England also needs second-year receiver Kyle Williams to do more. The former third-round pick struggled as a rookie and needs to improve his route running, but he’s adept at running balls straight down the field and is good at clearing the line of scrimmage.

It’s a tough way to start a tenure for Brown’s veterans. The team gave up a first-round pick to acquire him from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, hoping to boost its offense.

Now, the Patriots are without their best talent position players to pick up the pieces from the dude in the opener — at least for a little while.