EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown had a shaky return to action Sunday, dropping a career-high three passes in the team's 26-19 win over the New York Jets that also included his muffed onside kick recovery attempt that was corralled by teammate Eli Raridon late in the fourth quarter."My timing was off. I'm much better than what I put on display today. There's no excuses. I'll be better," said Brown, who was targeted 10 times and totaled just three receptions for 27 yards."I expect myself to make each one of those plays. I'm more than capable of making those catches."Brown, who played 52 of a possible 67 snaps according to NFL Next Gen Stats, relayed that he came out of the game healthy after returning from a right high ankle sprain sustained in Week 1.Asked if coming back from injury impacted him, Brown repeated there were no excuses."Regardless of whether I was sitting down or I've been going, I expect myself to make each one of those plays," he said.Among the plays Brown noted he should have made was a beautiful deep pass from quarterback Drake Maye early in the second quarter that sailed through his hands after Brown had created separation. He also had a drop on a slant on third-and-5."I have trust in my hands," Brown said. "I'll continue my process and continue daily catching and just keep going. You can't care about that and keep going."Brown added he will be ready to go in Thursday's road game against the Chicago Bears, when the Patriots might be without fellow top receiver Romeo Doubs, who departed Sunday's game with a shoulder injury and didn't return.Maye, who finished 18 of 32 for 235 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Jets, expressed optimism that he'll be clicking with Brown soon."First of all, it was great to see him back out there. He looks cool in the huddle. So I'm looking forward to just growing, just building the connection," he said."I think there's some [on] me, [and] there's obviously some plays he wished he had back. But man, I was just [saying] in the locker room, 'You ain't got to worry about [number] 1. He's a player in this league. He's going to be one of the best players on the field every time he steps on it.' I told him I'm going to keep coming his way, and I don't really think there's too much [else] to say about it. He's a great player. He's got great hands. He's got great releases, and he was open. I thought he looked good running around."Coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged Brown's struggles Sunday, but also expressed confidence in him bouncing back ."He could've probably made a few more plays, come down with a few more plays. He's been out for a while. I know that he wanted to do well for his football team, and unfortunately it wasn't his best effort ... I know that he knows that," he said."A.J. has high expectations for himself, and we have high expectations for him as well. So I'm confident that he'll come back and do a lot of things that help us here the rest of the season."
