The Philadelphia Eagles are now 5-0 after a stunning win over the Los Angeles Rams. In what was their toughest game yet, the Birds shined the brightest they have all season and the man leading the way was none other than A.J Brown.
The former Tennessee Titan had a slightly slow start to the year. Things started off great against the Patriots with a 79-yard game, but cooled off rapidly against the Vikings, when the infamous ‘sideline spat‘ took place. Since then, however, Brown has been nothing short of dominant.
He’s recorded 315 yards over his last 3 games, with his longest reception in each being over 28 yards. He’s also caught two touchdowns in that span and now sits 4th in the NFL receiving leaders list after 5 weeks of Football.
However, it’s not just the numbers that A.J Brown is putting up that are so impressive, but how important he is to the teams’ success.
A.J Brown wills the Eagles to a crucial touchdown
Take the closing drive of the first half against the Rams, for instance. The Eagles were down by 10 with around 30 seconds remaining. Brown caught a huge pass over the middle and ran it down the field for a 28-yard gain. This put the Eagles in field goal range, but a rogue flag due to a horse collar tackle from Kendrick pushed them down to the 14.
One play later and with a shot at a touchdown, A.J Brown took off for the endzone and was targeted by Hurts. A flag came down once again on Kendrick, who impeded the physical receiver and pushed the Eagles to the 1-yard line.
A brotherly shove later and the Eagled turned a dead drive into a touchdown through the physical dominance embodied by A.J Brown.
MVP
The Eagles are 5-0 and ultimately that is all that matters. However, it’s safe to say that the offense has been underwhelming for the majority of that span. The one constant the Eagles could elan on while the teething problems continued to haunt the offense was A.J Brown.
He’s averaged over 14 yards per reception in each of his last 3 games and is the teams’ leading receiver in terms of both yardage and targets. Jalen Hurts has not only found comfort in his best friend, but coincidence that he can turn a five-yard gain into a game-changing play.
When Jalen Hurts was struggling to get back to his best and the offensive play-calling handcuffed the team, A.J Brown was the keys that unlocked the cuffs. The receiver who was talented enough to single-handedly change the course of a game through adapting to his quarterbacks’ errant passes, or taking conservative attempts and turning them into huge gains.
It’s still crazy to me that the Titans traded A.J brown in the first place, but all he’s done since arriving in Philadelphia is make plays. When the team needed a spark through the air or the offense looked like it was about to fold, it’s been Brown pulling them back from the brink. That statement has never been as accurate as it was yesterday, and there is no doubt that he’s been the teams’ most valuable player through the opening five weeks of play.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
