Mike Vrabel says there’s a chance A.J. Brown could play vs. Jets

New England Patriots

“I hope that he’s going to help us, but that remains to be seen yet when he’ll be back. So, we’ll see how he does [Monday] and move from there.”

The Patriots’ offense has gained momentum over the past two weeks with wins against the Bills and Raiders, and more help could be on the way. Receiver A.J. Brown is eligible to return after missing four games on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain.

“There is a chance,” coach Mike Vrabel said when asked if Brown could return for this week against the rival Jets. “Yep, there is.”

During his weekly interview with WEEI, Vrabel said the Patriots will see how Brown looks.

“Whenever he’ll be back, he should help us,” Vrabel said. “I hope that he’s going to help us, but that remains to be seen yet when he’ll be back. So, we’ll see how he does [Monday] and move from there.”

New England’s receivers found success against the Raiders. Brown is expected to build on that.

“I think just helping to add to the production,” Vrabel said. “All you want from the receivers is that they’re a productive group, that they win one-on-one matchups, contested catches, create separation, give quarterbacks confidence and places to go with the football.”

Left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) left Sunday’s game with injuries. Vrabel isn’t sure if they will be available this week.

“We’ll evaluate here and see how it looks,” Vrabel said regarding Henderson’s status. “Wasn’t able to finish the game and if we see that on Wednesday he’s going to be limited, then we’ll let you know he’ll be limited.”

“I know that those two players [Campbell and Henderson] will do everything that they can to get back. But unfortunately, they weren’t able to finish the game. So, I don’t know where their availability will be just less than 24 hours after the game.”

Making progress

New England scored a season-high 45 points thanks in large part to improved quarterback play from Drake Maye, who connected with nine different pass-catchers. He threw for four touchdowns, ran for a fifth, and committed no turnovers.

Vrabel was asked whether Maye’s early-season struggles, during which he threw six interceptions over the first three games, stemmed more from mental errors or his health status. The Patriots listed Maye with a shoulder injury last week, but he was a full participant at practice.

“I don’t even know how to begin to answer that question, because I think it’s not fair to anybody,” Vrabel said. “When you look at player performance, we have to give guys everything that they need during the week, in training camp, to be prepared situationally — whether that’s two-minute, that’s the end of the game, but then, also, kind of figure out whether they are based on their actions.

“I always say this: a guy doesn’t have to tell me that he doesn’t love a certain coverage or that he doesn’t love a certain route or that he doesn’t love a certain play call. You kind of see it in their actions in the way that they play and the speed at which they play. We have to determine what our guys are confident in by watching and seeing what they do at practice.”

There are many factors including technique, decision-making, and play-calling from the coaching staff that determine a quarterback’s performance, Vrabel said.

“We have to try to continue to move forward in what we did [Sunday],” Vrabel said. “We still have to find ways to run the football, be able to get [Maye] on the move, get him outside the pocket, throw some screens. [He loves] taking his shots, so just finding a balance of all those different things.”

Cherished memories

Like they did before capturing the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship, the 2001 Patriots opted to be introduced as a team while being honored at Gillette Stadium during Sunday’s win.

Vrabel caught up with some of his former teammates at dinner the night before, and some of them attended the walkthrough practice before the game.

“I thought the whole weekend was fantastic,” Vrabel said. “I thought that was really special, from the guys being over on Saturday for the walkthrough and being able to go to dinner on Saturday night, to be recognized and see these guys on Sunday morning and the fans and their families. Everybody could cherish that.”