Life comes at you fast in the NFL. Just five weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were sitting atop the NFC playoff picture with a 10-1 record and firmly in control of their destiny to ensure the road to the Super Bowl in the conference goes through Lincoln Financial Field. Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown was also contending for the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award. Now, the team has lost four of their last five games while Brown’s frustrations are becoming more visible by the day.
Brown’s production has dipped in recent weeks while the Eagles have struggled. After recording at least five receptions and 65 receiving yards in eight of his first nine games this season, Brown has reached those numbers in just three of his last seven games.
As a result, there was concern that the stud wide receiver's frustration was more about his lack of consistent production/usage during this recent stretch than the Eagles' wins and losses. Those concerns only heightened after Brown declined to talk to the media last week following the team’s 35-31 home loss to the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals. Moreover, there was speculation that Brown’s resentment was directed towards Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. As a result, Brown took it upon himself to address the problem directly.
A.J. Brown clears the air
“People say I’m beefing with Nick [Sirianni],” Brown said, per ESPN’s Tim McManus. “I’m not mad at Nick [Sirianni], I’m not mad at nobody. We have a great relationship.”.
Brown also went on to say that he decided not to speak with the media following last week’s loss because he didn’t want to speak negatively about the team. “Like I said after the game, I was raised that if I have nothing nice to say I’m not going to say nothing at all,” Brown said.
It is crucial for the Eagles that Brown puts his pride aside for the sake of the greater good of the team. While they are no longer in control of their destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC of the NFC East division crown, they still have an opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl with the hopes of winning it this time around.