The Philadelphia Eagles have hit quite a rough patch in the last few weeks. They have lost four out of their last five games, with their only victory coming on Christmas Day over the New York Giants in Week 16. But, even that victory was far from pretty, as the Eagles had a fight on their hands in the second half despite opening up a 20-3 lead at halftime.
There is a lot not going right in Philadelphia right now. The situation people are paying the most attention to centers around star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Frustrations are mounting throughout the entire organization following an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, but Brown is the one who seems most frustrated.
Not only is the team underperforming, but Brown isn’t getting as many opportunities to produce as he was earlier in the season. He set an NFL record with six straight games recording at least 125 receiving yards; since that streak was snapped, he has been ice cold.
NFL News & Rumors: Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles Updates
Brown has reached the 100-yard plateau only once since the streak ended as the Eagles’ passing offense has crumbled. Some of the issues can certainly be placed on the coaching staff, who are coming up woefully short in terms of game plan creativity.
Against their former defensive coordinator, now head coach of the Cardinals Jonathan Gannon, Brown recorded only four catches for 53 yards. On Monday, head coach Nick Sirianni talked about Brown and the frustrations he and the entire team are currently having.
“Obviously I don’t want to speak for him,” Sirianni said. “But, you know, obviously when you have a dynamic playmaker like A.J., he’s going to want to change the game at all times and he’s capable of doing that at all times.
“And so again, I don’t want to speak for him, but obviously we’re all frustrated. We’re all frustrated right now, especially coming off that loss yesterday. And so you want to be able to have fun. You want to be able to do all these things, and you know, that football brings, but sometimes it’s hard to have fun and hard to find the enjoyment when you’re in a rut like we are.
“But he’s always going to want to — he’s always going to want to change the game because he knows he’s capable and that’s just him being the playmaker he is. I know this, and I said this to you guys on the record, off the record, all — everything, that there’s nobody that is as good of a teammate. There is nobody that’s as good of a person as A.J. and shoot, he’s one of our very best players and one of our best players since I’ve been here in the past three years. I can’t say enough good things about him. We’re all frustrated, I think and again, like I said, I don’t want to speak for him on anything.” (H/T PFT)
NFL News & Rumors: Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles Updates
Brown isn’t the first receiver to not be happy about the ball not being in their hands enough and he won’t be the last. Wanting the ball is part of the job of the No. 1 receiver as they believe it will help the team win games.
Right now, Brown isn’t being afforded that chance with the Eagles. Some credit should go to their opponents, who are creating game plans to ensure the star receiver cannot have massive games against them.
But, some of the onus has to fall on the Eagles’ coaching staff to design plays to get the ball into his hands. With Hurts’ production in the passing game falling off, they need to do something to get things back on track. If they are unable to, Philadelphia will be eliminated from the postseason much earlier than they anticipated.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
