Patriots' A.J. Brown exits season opener with ankle injury

New England wide receiver A.J. Brown was forced to leave the Patriots' season-opening game against the Seattle Seahawks after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. The injury occurred when Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett made contact with Brown's lower leg on a short pass, causing Brown to clutch the area above his ankle and remain on the field while trainers attended to him. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game and taken to the locker room.

Brown had recorded three receptions for 26 yards before the incident, including a key play that resulted in a defensive pass-interference penalty at the two-yard line and set up a rookie tight end's touchdown, the only score of the first half. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he had no further information on Brown's condition after the game.

The Patriots acquired Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason, hoping to strengthen their receiving corps. Brown has posted six 1,000-yard seasons in his seven-year career.