The New England Patriots have had a weird start to the season, one many did not expect after their 2025/26 Super Bowl run. After beating division rival Buffalo in Week 4, the Patriots have been on a winning streak and got another win today.
Still, in this game against the New York Jets, it wasn’t perfect. After leading 17-3 at halftime, the Jets made it close and nearly completed the comeback. One player who may have helped the Jets get back in the game was Patriots WR A.J. Brown, who really struggled.
Dave Portnoy Speaks His Mind After Patriots WR A.J. Brown’s Bad Day Against the Jets
Last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown struggled at times but still finished 12th overall in PFN’s WR Impact Metric. This was a season after winning a Super Bowl and being a part of one of the best offenses in football.
After Kellen Moore left for New Orleans, Philadelphia’s offense struggled under Kevin Patullo in 2025, and Brown became increasingly frustrated with his role and production. Following months of trade speculation, the Eagles ultimately dealt him to New England.
Brown was coached by HC Mike Vrabel during their time in Tennessee with the Titans, so a reunion made sense. After dealing with injuries all year and playing only once before this week, Brown was set to return and hopefully help QB Drake Maye, but he did the opposite.
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON:PFN’s Free NFL Playoff Predictor
Brown dropped 3 passes and could not secure an onside kick from the Jets at the end of the game. It was far from what the Patriots wanted to see from Brown, and their fans, including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, made it known how bad that performance was.
Here is what Portnoy had to say about Brown’s performance:
“That was the worst single performance I have ever seen a wide receiver have. He might as well have bricks tied to his hands. He had like four, five easy drops; he almost cost us the game on the onside kick; what he’s doing on that hands team, God only knows.”
Portnoy also described Brown’s performance as “horrific.”
Although there have probably been worse WR performances in history, as Portnoy points out, Brown had a really bad game today.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM:PFN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
After trading away a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 5th-round pick, the Patriots have seen no positive impact from this move. Maybe this performance can be boiled down to Brown returning from injury and needing time, but he looked nothing like what the Patriots thought they were trading for.
There are still 12 weeks of regular-season football left to see if the Brown trade was worth it, but in this short sample, it looks like a bad move.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.