Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown is on the brink of NFL history but coach Nick Sirianni is more impressed with his dirty work.
There is so much hyperbole regarding NFL personnel that it’s difficult for any mere mortal to live up to the often video game-like expectations great players are subjected to. This season, Philadelphia Eagles’ receiver A.J. Brown is giving it a nice run, though. In Week 7’s 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, Brown “won” an imaginary duel against Miami superstar Tyreek Hill with 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown.
It was the fifth consecutive time the Eagles’ WR1 had at least 125 yards through the air, matching the rare league record that’s been the sole domain of the Detroit Lions. That kind of run has only been accomplished twice before by Hall of Fame wideout Calvin Johnson in 2012 and then-Lions pass-catcher Pat Studstill in 1966. “It means I’m working hard,” Brown said of his historic stretch. “I’m doing the right things. I’m not really worried about [the run]. I just try to go out there and make the most of my opportunities.”
Brown will have an opportunity to stand alone Sunday at Washington when the 6-1, 226-pound wideout again tries to victimize the Commanders. Back in Week 4, during a 34-31 overtime win for Philadelphia, Brown tortured Washington first-round rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes to the tune of nine catches for 175 yards and two scores.
Forbes has since been benched by the Commanders, and this time, Benjamin St-Juste will be the one tasked with slowing down Brown for the most part. A solid third-year pro, St-Juste matches up with Brown better than most corners when it comes to size at 6-3 and 200, but will likely have a difficult time dealing with Brown’s athleticism. “Consistency,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni volleyed back when asked what has impressed him most about his All-Pro receiver’s play during this stretch.
A former receiver himself back in his playing days at Mount Union, Sirianni is a student of the position and veered toward the intangible aspect of it when discussing his star’s value. “Everybody knows how good he’s been playing. He’s been recognized by us as player of the game. … He has been recognized by the NFL as Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career,” Sirianni said. “… But let me show you guys a couple things that he did, and our guys noticed it, to help somebody else get open in a couple different instances with Dallas [Goedert]. The block that he had on Dallas’ touchdown on the screen pass that we ran. So, there were all these different things.
“I think what impressed me the most are the things that he’s not getting recognized for of how good of a team player he is and what he’s been doing for this team, not just catching the football and not just being on the field.” For receivers, though, it’s all about catching the football and Brown has the second-most receiving yards (809) in the NFL this season behind Hill’s 902. Dating back to Week 2, Brown is No. 1 with 730 receiving yards.
Over 17 games at his current pace, Brown would finish the season with a mind-blowing 126 receptions for 1,965 yards for an offense that isn’t designed for the higher-volume passing numbers that a team like Miami is. Sirianni, though, can’t keep defaulting to the other stuff.
“It gives me goosebumps to think about it as I’m talking about it right now,” the coach said. “It’s the things he’s doing that are unsee where other guys are getting the shine. Now he’s getting his opportunities as well, but that’s what impressed me. “… So that speaks to why he has the ‘C’ on his chest and why he’s a captain of this team. He just keeps getting better every time he steps on the field.”
