The New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams may have put too many of their eggs in one basket.
Both teams made blockbuster trades this offseason, hoping they were the last move they needed to win a Super Bowl. The Rams acquired defensive end Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, while the Patriots obtained wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, those deals aren’t providing early returns for each club after both stars have suffered injuries that will sideline them for multiple weeks.
A.J. Brown, Myles Garrett set to miss multiple games
On Sunday morning, multiple reports shared that Garrett will undergo arthroscopic surgery for a minor knee issue and will be placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four weeks.
Brown was already placed on IR after suffering a high ankle sprain in New England’s 13-10 Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots hoped he would miss just four weeks, but he’s expected to miss six.
Brown and Garrett were both slated to be big parts of their respective squads’ plans early in the season. Their injuries throw a wrench in those.
In Week 1, it appeared neither team invested in more depth at offensive and defensive position groups, as they expected Garrett and Brown to produce at an elite level immediately.
During their 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, the jet-lagged Rams had no sacks. The Patriots, meanwhile, only generated 168 yards passing against Seattle, and many of their WRs made big mistakes. That included WR Romeo Doubs dropping a wide-open pass on a 2nd-and-14 early in the fourth quarter.
“I just wasn’t locked in enough,” Doubs said of the drop postgame.