Adam Schefter shares harsh A.J. Brown injury update for Patriots fans

Much has been said and written about the struggles New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye endured over the first two weeks of the NFL season. 

However, some seem to have forgotten that Maye has been without A.J. Brown since the star wide receiver suffered a high ankle sprain with no fracture during the club's 13-10 campaign-opening loss at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9.

During a Wednesday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared an update on Brown that will likely bum Patriots fans out. 

When is the earliest A.J. Brown may come back?

"I think that that’s gonna take a little while," Schefter said about Brown's eventual return to action, per Dan Morrison of Heavy. "I think it was supposed to be a 6-8 week injury. I think he’s been, from what I understand, moving pretty well. Looks like a guy who can come back on the quicker side of six weeks than eight weeks, so that’s encouraging."

Previous whispers teased that Brown potentially could return in time to play in the Patriots' Week 6 home game against the New York Jets on Oct. 18. It now sounds like that isn't realistic. 

The "quicker side" of six weeks would suggest that Brown possibly could play in New England's Week 8 game at the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 1. The following Sunday, the Patriots will host the Green Bay Packers.

A.J. Brown still has "a little ways to go" in recovery

Without having his No. 1 wide receiver in the lineup, Maye tossed one touchdown pass and four interceptions over the season's first two weeks. Per ESPN stats, he began Thursday ranked 15th in the league among qualified passers with a 63.3 adjusted QBR for the campaign. It now seems like Maye won't throw a pass to Brown in a meaningful game until after Halloween. 

"I’m gonna guess today, based on some of the things, maybe it’s six," Schefter added during his Brown update. "Maybe it’s six. But there’s still a little ways to go, and you have to see how he’s recovering."

Maye and the Brown-less 1-1 Patriots will next play at the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars this coming Sunday. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had New England as a three-point road underdog for that contest.