A.J. Brown's availability for Sunday is uncertain. The Patriots receiver missed practice Thursday with a knee injury. Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons reported that his Week 8 status is up in the air.
Pats Pulpit's Brian Hines wrote that Brown was added to the injury report with the knee issue on Wednesday. Hines cited NFL Network in reporting that Brown sat out Thursday because the knee "flared up." Yahoo Sports carried the same description. Hines also noted that the 29-year-old has a history of knee trouble, but the excerpt we have cuts off before the details.
ESPN added the most context. Thursday was Brown's first missed practice since he came back from injured reserve, and the knee is a new problem on top of the ankle injury he was already dealing with. Yahoo's injury-update piece likewise described him as dealing with a couple of lower-body injuries. None of the outlets we have gives a practice designation or says what the team plans for Sunday.
Brown's season has been short and quiet. He has played in three games, and the game log shows the Week 1 opener at Seattle and the last two outings. He has 9 catches for 101 yards on 20 targets, with no touchdowns and a long of 18. He had 3 catches for 26 yards at Seattle, 3 for 27 on 10 targets against the Jets on Oct. 18, and 3 for 48 on 6 targets at Chicago on Oct. 22. He also has a fumble this season, in the Jets game, though our log shows he did not lose it. Last year he had 78 catches for 1,003 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games, so the current output is well below that.
The Patriots are 4-3 and second in the AFC East, coming off a 30-24 Thursday-night loss at Chicago. That ended a stretch in which they beat the Jets 26-19 and the Raiders 45-17. Brown played in both of those wins and in the loss, so his return has coincided with their recent games. If he is out, the team would lose its top wideout, as Yahoo described him, with little time to adjust.
Sun, Nov 1, 4:25 PM ET
New England visits Miami on Sunday, Nov. 1. The reporting does not say when a decision will come. The next update should come from Friday's injury report, which will show whether Brown practiced and how the team lists him.
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