Tom Brady Makes Simple A.J. Brown Declaration Before Eagles-Chiefs Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 12:31 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Arrowhead Stadium for a Super Bowl LIX rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The game will be aired on Fox Sports, and in the booth will be Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt.

Before the matchup, Brady was asked by analyst and former teammate Rob Gronkowski whether the Eagles should "force feed" wide receiver A.J. Brown.

“Just start with feeding him, less than force-feeding him,” Brady responded. “It’s important always to get your best player involved… I wouldn’t be surprised if he touches it within the first couple of plays of the game.”

“I think the Chiefs just need to get back on track.”@TomBrady gives his thoughts on some of the top NFL storylines heading into Week 2. pic.twitter.com/LtGHXvhqRM
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 14, 2025

Of course, in Philadelphia's Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Brown's role was nearly non-existent. In total, he was targeted just once, hauling in one reception for eight yards.

Despite being the second-highest paid player on the team, he earned fewer targets than TE Dallas Goedert (seven), RB Saquon Barkley (five), WR DeVonta Smith (four) and WR Jahan Dotson (three).

However, the Chiefs struggled against the pass in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, allowing quarterback Justin Herbert to throw for 318 yards.

As Brady noted, this means the Eagles have an opportunity to attack quickly in the pass game and get Brown involved within the first drive.

Another area in which the Chiefs' defense struggled was letting up big plays. In total, they have already allowed four passes of 20-plus yards, which is tied for ninth-most in the NFL.

That's an area in which Brown excelled in during the 2024 season, hauling in 17 receptions of 20-plus yards, which was tied for the ninth-most.

If Brady is correct and the Eagles do get Brown involved early, it could come on an early shot to set the tone.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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