A.J. Brown wants to win a Super Bowl, and he’s OK with being perceived as the “bad guy” in Philadelphia if that’s what it takes.
Brown addressed the elephant in the room on Wednesday, stating it wasn’t his intent to drag quarterback Jalen Hurts with his postgame comments on the Eagles passing game woes. His intent, rather, was to raise awareness around what he believes could be a potential flaw in the team’s game before it’s too late.
“Me and Jalen are good,” Brown told reporters on Wednesday. “We have to pass the ball, and that can go to our protection, picking up a block, that can go to us getting open quicker, being on the same page, Jalen’s reads, or whatever the case may be. It’s a collect group of things, and I think they (the media) just kind of spinned it (as me vs. Jalen).
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“And I said that for a reason, honestly,” Brown added, “because, like, we went to the Super Bowl and lost (in 2022). We tried again the next year, we were 10 and whatever our record was, and it was a landslide … and here we go again. It’s something that we can correct right now, while we have the opportunity.”
The “here we go again” line feels a bit aggressive, since the Eagles are currently 11-2 and riding a nine-game winning streak. But you can’t blame Brown for being concerned. The Eagles were 10-1 last season before that landslide he referenced. They lost six of their final seven games, including a first-round playoff game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was only a matter of time before an Eagles skill position player not named Saquon Barkley aired some frustrations publicly; although, Philly has done a great job this season creating the perception of one big happy family.
LOOK AT THEM…
THIS LOCKER ROOM ENERGY>>> pic.twitter.com/vn6z8ZnIN7— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 2, 2024
Philly enters Week 15 ranked 32nd in the NFL in pass attempts per game, 31st in completions per game, and 30th in gross passing yards per game. With superstar talent like Hurts, Brown and DeVonta Smith, numbers like those are almost hard to fathom.
The 2024 Eagles have morphed into an old-school, smash-mouth rushing team since the bye week. Saquon Barkley is chasing down Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record, and Hurts is tied with Derrick Henry for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns (13). That production, coupled with a punishing offensive line and smothering defense, has led to drastically reduced passing game reps, and in turn, inconsistent execution.
“Just finding that rhythm,” Hurts said of his role in getting the passing game untracked. “The rhythm thing is important, and I think that takes the collective group in how we approach things, what we do, how we attack people, and ultimately knowing my job and doing my job.”
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The pieces are certainly in place, and Hurts has delivered several big-time throws in key situations this season. But the volume needed to consistently feed 100-yard receivers just isn’t there right now, and it’s on head coach Nick Siranni and Co. to keep the ship afloat and heading downstream.
In the NFL, you are what you are after Thanksgiving. The Eagles won’t be morphing into a prolific passing offense anytime soon. But to Brown’s point, there’s a need to bear down and sharpen up the fundamentals. A game featuring 83 net passing yards might be good enough to beat the Carolina Panthers, as it was on Sunday, but that likely won’t be the case against teams like the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings in the NFC playoffs.
There’s no time like the present, and Sunday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their top-five rush defense is the perfect spot to see if Brown accomplished anything positive with his comments.
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