Malcom Brown Fights Through Stomach Pain To Help Patriots Shut Down Broncos

You could say New England Patriots defensive tackle Malcom Brown put forth a “gutsy” performance in Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos.

During the second quarter of the Patriots’ eventual 16-3 victory, Brown headed to the locker room with what the team called a “stomach” injury. New England had just three interior defensive linemen active for the game, leaving Alan Branch and Vincent Valentine to hold down the fort in Brown’s absence.

But after receiving treatment from the training staff, Brown returned to the field and helped the Patriots neutralize the Broncos’ offense in the second half. Denver rushed for just 12 yards after halftime and did not score a single point over the final three quarters.

“He’s a tough player,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty told reporters after the game. “I think with him and a lot of guys, he’s a team guy. His stomach is hurting and he’s not feeling well, but he goes back into the locker room and gets an IV because he wants to help the team. He knew once he went down, we had two defensive tackles out there, so he wanted to come back in.”

Despite playing a season-low 27 defensive snaps, Brown finished with four tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss in the win. His sack came on a third-and-1 early in the fourth quarter and forced one of five consecutive Broncos three-and-outs.

“He fought through and came back out,” McCourty told reporters. “I asked him how he was, and he said ‘I’m good.’ He came back and played really well, and we needed that. It was tough up here playing in Denver. It’s tough to catch your breath and the more guys we have out there, that’s key. He continued to play well for us since last year and this year.”

Brown has yet to miss a game in his NFL career, playing in all 32 (regular season and postseason) since the Patriots drafted him in the first round in 2015.