It’s officially Dallas week. Each and every season the comparison of who is the better team in the NFC East comes into the picture when the two bitter rivals square off on the gridiron. While there will be plenty to debate on that subject, another debate has been brought to light over the last couple of weeks.
Is A.J. Brown one of the best Eagles wide receivers of all-time?
The Magnificent A.J. Brown
Of course, Brown is only in his second season in Philadelphia, but it’s hard to turn your head from the production of the 26-year-old. He already is the franchise leader in receiving yards in a single season with his 1,496 yards last season, which surpassed Mike Quick’s mark of 1,409 set back in 1983. He also currently sits 34th all-time in receiving yards in the team’s history.
This season, A.J. Brown’s encore is hard to even put into words. It’s videogame like numbers. He’s projected to have 1,995 yards on 128 catches to go along with 11 touchdowns. It has Eagles fans reminiscing about the 2004 season Terrell Owens put together in his first year in midnight green, arguably the best overall season as an Eagle wide receiver.
Through the first eight weeks of this season and the 2004 season, this is how Brown stacks up to Owens:
BROWN: 60 receptions, 939 yards, 15.7 yards per reception, 5 TD, 117.4 yards per game.
OWENS: 49 receptions, 750 yards, 15.3 yards per reception, 9 TD, 93.8 yards per game.
By looking at it as a quick snapshot, A.J. Brown is having the superior season leading Terrell Owens in every category aside from touchdowns.
Century mark streaking
Both wideouts also put together a string of five or more straight games with 100+ yards receiving. Brown of course set a new NFL record with his sixth consecutive game with 125+ yards receiving in yesterday’s win over Washington.
Here’s a look at what Brown has put up during the historic streak.
- 10/29 @ Washington: 130 yards
- 10/22 vs. Miami: 137 yards
- 10/15 @ New York (A): 131 yards
- 10/8 @ Los Angeles (N): 127 yards
- 10/1 vs. Washington: 175 yards
- 9/25 @ Tampa: 131 yards
Even the greatest receivers who have gold jackets enshrined in Canton, Ohio didn’t accomplish what Brown has over the last six weeks. The stretch comes after A.J. Brown was seen having a heated argument with quarterback Jalen Hurts on the sidelines in where the star wideout had just 108 yards through the first two games of the season.
AJ. Brown insisted that the conversation didn’t have anything to do with targets, but whatever was said, it’s worked.
Terrell Owens is still one of the best
Owens had a solid streak in his own right, surpassing 100+ yards in five straight games with his highest yards total being 123 in a 30-8 win over Carolina.
T.O. finished the 2004 regular season with 1,200 yards and missed the final two games of the regular season. His 1,200 yards ranks 8th most in a single season in franchise history, but his 14 touchdowns that year still stands as the most by any Eagle wideout in a season.
Climbing up in the record book
A.J. Brown should zoom past Terrell Owens’ total (262 yards shy of surpassing T.O.) and is on pace for 1,995 yards this season. If he can somehow continue to average 117 yards per game, he could potentially finish the season ranked 17th for most career receiving yards in the 90-year history of the franchise. He is quickly ascending in the Eagles’ record books for the most 125-yard games in Eagles history.
Additionally, he’d break another record, held by Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, who owns the single-season NFL record with 1,964 yards in the 2012 season to highlight his illustrious career.
When Howie Roseman pulled off that shocking trade on Draft Night two years ago with the Tennessee Titans, many knew the Eagles were getting one of the top, young wide receivers in the game. Nobody could have predicted he would be on pace to shatter franchise and league records in less than two years.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
