Patriots Rule Out A.J. Brown for Dolphins Game

A.J. Brown will not play Sunday in Miami. The Patriots ruled their top receiver out on Saturday after a knee issue flared up this week, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported, and running back TreVeyon Henderson is out too with an illness.

That is a rough double hit for a 4-3 team heading into a road game against a 1-5 Dolphins team. Brown had been playing through a right high ankle sprain from the season opener, and now the knee has knocked him out of a game the Patriots should want badly.

What Happened This Week

Brown was limited in practice Wednesday and did not finish the session. Later that day, the knee showed up on the injury report next to the ankle that had landed him on injured reserve. "Just wasn't able to finish practice on Wednesday, so we continue to treat him," coach Mike Vrabel said Friday.

New England did not ease him back after IR. Brown played 102 of a possible 122 snaps across the win over the Jets on Oct. 18 and the loss to the Bears on Oct. 22. Brown called the two games in five days "a lot for anyone." Vrabel said the workload and this injury are "separate issues here," adding, "We want our best players to play and we consider him one of those."

Thin at Receiver and Running Back

Without Brown, DeMario "Pop" Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III are the only healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. Practice squad receiver Ryan Miller is one of the top candidates to be elevated for Sunday.

The backfield is short too. With Henderson out, Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner are the only running backs on the 53, and practice squad back Lan Larison is a candidate to be called up. The Patriots have one open roster spot and can elevate up to two players before Saturday's deadline.

Sunday in Miami

The Patriots visit the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday at 1:25 PM PT (4:25 PM ET). Miami has one win, so this is a game New England can still win without Brown, but the margin for error on offense just got a lot smaller.

My Smacktok lean: lean toward Pop Douglas being heavily involved on Sunday. With Brown out, he is one of only three healthy receivers on the 53-man roster, and the target share has to go somewhere.