When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field Sunday night for a matchup between division leaders, defeating the Detroit Lions will not be the only challenge facing them.
There’s also the mood of Philadelphia star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who could use some soothing with more involvement in the offense.
The defending Super Bowl champs are winning, entering Sunday’s game with a 7-2 record and would be the top seed in the NFC if the playoffs were played prior to the Week 11 games. But Brown’s production has been off, and the three-time Pro Bowl receiver was targeted just three times in Monday night’s 10-7 win at Green Bay.
Brown took to social media afterward to express his displeasure, saying on Twitch that fantasy owners should drop him from their teams. He defended his comments to Philadelphia media on Wednesday.
“I see the offense struggling, and I want to help contribute,” Brown said. “I didn’t get those opportunities. So I’m going to have a problem with that, especially the player that I am and the player you want me to be. That’s tough for me. We’re trying to put ourselves in the best situation to make those plays. You just have to get the opportunity. I didn’t get that.”
Brown made two catches for only 13 yards against the Packers, upping his season total to 408 receiving yards after accumulating 1,079 last season. He was the target for the failed fourth-and-6 with 35 seconds left from the 35-yard line when quarterback Jalen Hurts and Brown didn’t connect on a deep ball down the left sideline.
Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni tried to downplay any controversy on Wednesday.
“He’s working hard, and he is a big part of this game plan,” Sirianni said. “And I’m excited to have him.”
Said Hurts, “A.J. plays a pivotal role in what we’ve been and what we’ve done.”
But Brown’s role — or lack of it — is exactly what is bothering him.
He took issue with the idea that as long as the Eagles are winning that everything is fine. To be the team they want to be, Brown said they need to be executing offensively at a higher level.
“If we’re really focused on winning, we can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble,” Brown said. “At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense? It’s not about I don’t care about winning. It’s been week after week we’re not doing our job on offense. I want to win. I want to help contribute as well.”
Power play
The NFC East-leading Eagles likely will need Brown’s help to keep up with the high-powered and NFC North-leading Lions, who rank second in the NFL with 31.4 points per contest behind the strong play of Jared Goff. Detroit’s quarterback is first in the league in completion percentage (74.0) and ranks second in passing touchdowns (20) and quarterback rating (117.7).
With Lions coach Dan Campbell calling the plays, Detroit produced a season-high 546 yards in Sunday’s 44-22 win at Washington. The head coach will be calling the plays again on Sunday night against the Eagles.
“I just feel like it’s the right thing to do right now and I’m going to do it,” Campbell said. “Am I perfect? No, I’m not perfect. Players are going to have to bail me out.”
Sirianni, who is looking to go 11-0 against opponents from the NFC North since taking the reins in Philadelphia, knows Campbell and the Lions will provide a stout test.
“We expect their best, and we know this is a really good team,” he said.
Detroit is the only team in NFL history with at least 21 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing scores and six or fewer turnovers through the first nine games of a season.
Goff has completed 70% or more of his passes in eight straight road games, the longest streak in league history.
Home “sweet” home
The Eagles have won 13 of their last 14 games in Philadelphia. Campbell knows the Eagles have a strong home-field advantage from its passionate fan base, and he said the Lions are embracing the challenge of playing in such a hostile environment.
“When you’re a competitor, you just love it,” he said. “You go on the road, and it’s you against everybody else. And it’s very clear that it’s you against everybody else there. You go some places and they wave at you, like we’re so happy you’re here to play against us. This is not one of those places. It’s as far from that as you can possibly get. I loved playing in atmospheres like that. And I just know the type of guys we have. I think they’re going to eat it up. I really do.”
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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Aaron Bracy, The Associated Press
