Eagles Have a Chance to Solve Cryptic Comments and Offensive Identity in Dallas

Thursday during media, Eagles’ star wide receiver added more fuel to the fire of the Philadelphia media’s obsession with causing problems.

A reporter asked A.J. Brown for his comment regarding the belief that he is not the same player. Brown responded with “I guess Saquon [Barkley] ain’t the same player either, then.” Seemingly taking a dig at the Eagles’ running back, who received a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension following his record-breaking season.

It doesn’t take a genius with Polaroids, yarn, and a pushpin to identify that Brown has been the root of many problems this season. The All-Pro receiver has called the season a “sh– show”, told fantasy owners to drop him, and criticized his teammates, amongst other things. All of these quotes you can find online, taken out of context, with headlines to scope the situation for clicks. It’s also become apparent that Brown and Jalen Hurts have not maintained the same personal relationship as they had in previous years.

Every single thing said or implied has caused uproar in the fanbase, the local media outlets, and possibly even the locker room. So much so that last week, it was announced Jeffrey Lurie spoke to Brown about his off-field comments and to essentially get his act together. Brown has not tweeted/xeted anything since this, and following his seven catch performance for 49 yards, has not left any cryptic messages for the media to interpret.

While speculation rises about Brown’s commitment to the Eagles and winning, one thing remains clear for him: he wants the ball. With their upcoming game, the Birds have an excellent opportunity to silence the offensive criticism and Brown’s public comments.

Sunday, the Eagles will face the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL’s Game of the Week. The Cowboys rank 30th in pass defense, allowing 249.9 yards per game through the air and 23 total touchdowns. In their first match, the Eagles only moved the ball 152 yards through the air, and only eight yards were credited to Brown. He also only received one target, which many attributed to his lingering hamstring, as he rarely finished his routes that night.

That game was the first of the season, and the offense did not have an identity yet. Last year, much of their identity was Barkley, and that opened up the passing game for whenever they’d like to utilize it. Barkley averaged 3.3 yards per carry with 60 total yards in the first matchup against the Cowboys. He has not been a leading force of the Eagles’ offense like he was last season, but he’s starting to heat up a bit with the help of his backup, Tank Bigsby.

Metrically, the Cowboys do not possess a good run defense, but their trade deadline moves did strengthen their trenches. The Eagles have also dealt with injuries on their side of the line, which is why the focus should be on their weak passing defense.

The Eagles must get their star receiver going with the help of Hurts. Last Sunday, Hurts was not on his A-game at all, but neither was Jared Goff, an established pocket passer. Despite the weather factor, the Eagles quarterback still made it a point to get Brown the ball. There will be no weather factor this week as the Cowboys play in a dome; the only excuse is the poorly designed window that occasionally blinds offenses.

Entering week 12 without an offensive identity and question marks about relationships among skill players is not where a contending team should be, even if they’re 8-2. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Prioritize Brown on offense to kick the narratives and find an offensive identity through their two-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver. It would be a massive shift in momentum for this team, which has relied solely on its defense to perform the last few weeks.

Use Brown’s desire for the ball in the right way, as playcallers have done in the past. The offense may run through Hurts, but it’s most successful when Brown is contributing.

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