If you were told the Patriots’ first touchdown against the Jets on Sunday would be a 58-yard score, your mind probably would go to a few places.
Maybe Mac Jones hit Kendrick Bourne on a deep ball, or perhaps Rhamondre Stevenson ripped off a long dash to pay dirt. But the actual recipient of the aforementioned touchdown was arguably the most unlikely among New England’s offensive skill players.
Pharaoh Brown — yes, Pharaoh Brown — helped the Patriots take a two-score lead over their fiercest rival early in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. After Jones faked a handoff to Stevenson, New England’s quarterback found Brown bolting up the seam and the 29-year-old did the rest, outrunning multiple New York defenders before diving into the corner of the end zone.
To put Brown’s score into perspective, the tight end hadn’t logged a touchdown since 2020 and the two he scored that season were the only TDs of his NFL career prior to Sunday. The seventh-year pro, who joined the Patriots in late August, also didn’t receive a single target in New England’s first two games this season.
Brown was 110-1 to score the first touchdown of the game, according to Gilles Gallant of Action Network.
Earlier this month, Brown noted how he loves playing in Bill O’Brien’s offense. And after logging the most significant highlight of his career to date, Brown probably feels even stronger about that opinion.