EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- When tight end Pharaoh Brown signed with the New England Patriots after being released by the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the preseason, he remarked how surprised he was that the team serves lobster to players.
Brown was brought in to primarily help as a blocker, but as the Patriots hope to claw their way back from an 0-2 start, he cracked open what had been a lackluster start to the game with a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown from quarterback Mac Jones.
The play gave the Patriots a 10-0 lead.
Pharaoh in the air!@MacJones_10 | @PharaohsDream
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 24, 2023
📺 on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/x5jgLZE8rK
The Patriots had their three tight ends on the field -- Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki and Brown -- and brought Gesicki in motion from right to left before the snap.
Henry and Brown stayed aligned on the right side of the line of scrimmage and the 6-foot-5, 246-pound Brown released up the right seam while Henry broke to the sideline, with the Jets' defense busting the coverage and failing to cover him.
Brown caught the ball at the Jets' 38-yard line and raced to the right pylon, lunging the ball forward as safety Adrian Amos attempted to tackle him low.
Brown reached a max speed of 18.7 miles per hour on his 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown, according to NextGen Stats. That is the fastest speed Brown, a six-year veteran, has reached on any of his 52 career receptions.