How Antonio Brown’s departure could negatively affect Josh Gordon

The New England Patriots were able to earn a big-time victory on Sunday afternoon against the New York Jets. They demolished their divisional rival 30-14 to improve to 3-0 after a trying week that saw them cut Antonio Brown just two weeks after agreeing to sign him.

Brown's simply had to go after he sent threatening text messages to a woman who had accused him of sexual assault. But still, his departure hurts the depth of the receiving corps, and one analyst thinks it could have a negative impact on Josh Gordon.

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On NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Postgame Live, former Patriot Ted Johnson explained why he thought that Brown's presence was taking some pressure off Gordon and why there may be cause for concern with him in the wake of Brown's departure.

My feeling was that when they signed Antonio Brown to this team, that took pressure off of Josh Gordon...

My feeling was that a guy who has a history of Josh Gordon -- he came in last year kind of as the savior for this offense when they traded for him. A lot of pressure on him being the focal point, forcing the ball to him. And we know how it ended up at the end of the year. He wasn't able to keep it together, so the Patriots lost him with two games left in the season.

You just wonder that now if AB is gone, if Edelman is hurt, now the pressure and the spotlight goes back on Josh Gordon. You just hope beyond hope that he's able to not let that pressure lead him down a bad road.

Of course, this is just speculation. But if those responsibilities do fall on Gordon, it could be a lot for him to handle. In the last few weeks, the team has lost Brown, Demaryius Thomas, and Julian Edelman exited Sunday's game with an injury though he is expected to be okay. Still, if Edelman misses any time, Gordon would have a lot of pressure on him.

We'll see what ends up happening in the Patriots' receiving corps, but this is just a friendly reminder that the group is no longer as deep as it once was. And has been the case throughout the season, there are few proven, reliable pieces that can be trusted long-term for the Pats.