Eagles WR outburst casts shadow over win

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

A.J. Brown outburst casts shadow over Eagles win

By John Gidley | Last updated Sep 15, 2023 1:34 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles continue to play with fire in more ways than one.

In Week 1, the Eagles jumped to a 16-0 lead over the New England Patriots but only won by five points. On Thursday night, Philadelphia saw a 27-7 lead over the Minnesota Vikings become just a six-point margin of victory. The Eagles are 2-0, but there's a reason for concern that goes beyond the team's inability to maintain a comfortable lead.

In the fourth quarter, with Philadelphia leading 27-14, quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown argued on the sideline, presumably over Brown's lack of touches. He caught four passes for just 29 yards on Thursday night. Fellow wideout DeVonta Smith, meanwhile, caught four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

The @PrimeVideo broadcast just showed AJ Brown expressing some frustration about something with Jalen Hurts. Nick Sirianni came over and tried to calm down the situation and held AJ’s arm.

They just attempted several TD passed to AJ, one was called back
@PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/XcsaL8trJu
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 15, 2023

As WCAU-TV sports anchor John Clark alluded to, Hurts apparently attempted to appease Brown after the incident. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brown shortly thereafter, but the score was negated by a holding penalty.

Subsequently, Hurts took two sacks to send the Eagles back to the Vikings 49-yard line, forcing Philadelphia to punt. The apparent attempt to appease Brown took Philadelphia out of scoring range when a field goal could have extended its lead to 16 points.

After the game, Hurts addressed the incident, saying the argument didn't matter given the final score.

“Everybody wants to make plays. He’s a good friend”

“We won. Those things don’t matter. We won”

Jalen Hurts on AJ Brown voicing some frustration with him pic.twitter.com/0z9Xr44YmS
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 15, 2023

This behavior by a star receiver shouldn't be tolerated by the Eagles. The fact that this occurred when Philadelphia was leading by multiple scores makes the issue concerning.

Brown's former team, the Tennessee Titans, has Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. He's no Hurts, who's one of the top QBs in the NFL, so Brown should be thankful. His current team gives him a great chance of winning a Super Bowl, so ditch the diva stuff, Brown. You'll have plenty of opportunities this season.

John Gidley

John Gidley is a lifelong resident of suburban Philadelphia, with career stops at NFL Films and Sports Illustrated. John loves his family, the Phillies, and the Eagles. His pet peeves are the Dallas Cowboys and interleague play, not necessarily in that order.

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