Brown is just three games into his Patriots career, but New England needs more production from the star wideout.
A.J. Brown Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
We’ve been debating Drake Maye vs. Caleb Williams for years, and we won’t be stopping anytime soon
10 takeaways from Patriots’ 30-24 loss to Bears
The Patriots are heading into week eight now, and A.J. Brown has a total of nine catches for 101 yards and no touchdowns.
Thursday’s loss marked his third game in the Patriots’ lineup this season. He had more yards (109) against the Rams in Week 3 last season than he does over his first three games of this season. He had 10 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns when the Eagles played the Bears last year.
Brown missed four games with a high-ankle sprain and came back as soon as he was eligible last Sunday against the Jets. He said Thursday night that he feels great physically, but his production has not matched its previous levels.
He was asked how much of the first two games were about acclimating to the Patriots’ offense and picking up things he may have missed while he was out.
“I guess you can say that,” Brown said. “But, there’s no time for that. Everybody is in whatever week it is and I’m in Week 3 coming up. There’s no time for that. I’ve just got to keep grinding and put my best foot forward, try to make plays, and get going.”
Brown showed improvement from last week, when he caught just three of 10 targets against the Jets. He had three catches on six targets for 48 yards against the Bears.
One of the passes he was unable to catch was a deep ball during which Chicago defensive back Malik Muhammad II reached around Brown’s body and put an arm on top of the Patriots’ receiver’s arm. The ball bounced off of Brown’s other hand. Brown said he didn’t know when asked if Muhammad interfered with him.
The Patriots won Brown’s first game back against the Jets last week and followed that up with a loss to the Bears.
“We won last week and I was excited, happy. that we got the win,” Brown said. “This week, I’m not down or anything but there’s just stuff we can improve on.”
Brown said the Bears tried to take him out of the game before adding that he’s used to that kind of thing.
“I’m a vet. I know how the game goes,” Brown said. “It’s just kind of how the game is. I know what type of player I am and I know that’s always the case. When I line up I get a lot of attention, teams try to take me away and that gives a lot of opportunities for other guys to make plays and soften things up for me. When I get my shots, I’ve got to make them.”
With Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins on injured reserve while Brown tries to find his way, the bulk of the Patriots’ passing production came from running backs and tight ends Thursday night.
Josh McDaniels did a nice job trying to get Brown involved, the receiver said. The focus going forward, he said, is on recovery this weekend.
“Just focused on this weekend, getting my body right and we’ll get to Monday when we get to Monday,” said Brown.
Khari A. ThompsonSports Reporter
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.