Patriots Reveal Likely Playing Status For A.J. Brown vs Jets

The New England Patriots will be taking on the New York Jets this weekend, giving themselves an opportunity to win their third straight game.

Coming into the matchup, New England has looked much better in recent weeks, finally putting it together on the field. This has allowed the Patriots to get some quality wins in a row, and the team sits with a record of 3-2 entering the game against the Jets.

As for New York, they come in having won last week, holding a record of 2-3 for the season. The Jets have been much more competitive this season, and the Patriots can't overlook them at all.

But New England should be getting a really big reinforcement this week, with star A.J. Brown likely to be activated from the injured reserve. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported the news on social media this morning.

Brown returned to practice this week for the first time since he suffered a brutal ankle injury in Week 1 of the season. The star wide receiver has been out since, looking for ways to attack his rehab.

But the veteran is now expected back against the Jets, giving this team a major boost on the offensive side of the ball. New England traded for Brown this offseason to give the unit a legitimate "go-to" wide receiver for quarterback Drake Maye to throw the ball to.

In his absence, the Patriots offense has slowly started to come together, with Maye looking much stronger over the last two weeks. But having him back on the field gives this team another weapon to use, and he can help take pressure off other players.

The Jets are going to have to make sure they know where Brown is at all times, which could open up lanes for other wide receivers to get numbers. Before he went down in Week 1, Brown had caught three passes for 26, on four targets.

It could take him some time to get back into the flow of the game, but the Patriots will work with him on this. Assuming that he is officially activated, New England will play this smart, looking to avoid him unnecessarily injuring himself again.

But this is great news for the Patriots this week, especially with the team firing on all cylinders right now. New England's offense should be even more explosive going forward, and Maye now can keep up his turnaround.