Nick Sirianni downplays AJ Brown’s lack of production amid Eagles’ success

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: the Philadelphia Eagles recorded a big win to advance their Super Bowl goals, but in doing so, their top wide receiver, AJ Brown, ended the game with a stat line typically reserved for WR3s, not former Pro Bowlers with five 1,000 yard receiving seasons on his resume.

That’s right, despite playing 61 of the Eagles’ 63 offensive snaps, Brown finished the game with two catches on seven targets for 14 yards. Despite being the most targeted receiver on the team, only Kenneth Gainwell finished the game with fewer receiving yards, at least of the players who caught balls, and he had multiple negative plays that made life harder for the boys in midnight green, including a bobbled pass in the endzone that should have been a touchdown.

Asked about Brown’s targets and production in the playoffs, head coach Nick Sirianni kept things close to vest on his actual conversations with his WR1, noting instead that winning is what matters most, not stuffing individual stat sheets.

“Yeah, we’re doing everything we can do to win each football game. I think you saw yesterday we were able to win the turnover battle. We were able to take care of the ball in the elements. They had some turnovers that we were able to create yesterday. So, again, you do everything you can do to win each and every game. There is going to be a game that we’re going to have to throw a bunch, and there’s going to be a game we have to run a bunch,” Sirianni told Eagles reporters.

“Again, I wouldn’t say I have a level of concern of anything there. I know we’re able to win both ways. I know we can win passing the ball. I know we can win running the ball. Just so happens a little bit more this year, we’ve won running the football. We’re in this position now to play in the NFC Championship Game, which is special. I know we’ve got the right people in place all the way on our offense, our coaches. Yeah, we’re doing what we need to do to win each game. Like I said, if that means throw it 50 times, we’ll do that. If it means run it 50 times, we’ll do that as well.”

On one hand, Sirianni is pretty much on the money, as the Eagles were struggling to get much going through the air and opted instead to center their attack around Saquon Barkley in the Divisional Round against the Rams. Still, it’s not like Jalen Hurts didn’t try to get the ball to Brown in the game, as he was actually targeted more than any other receiver on the team by a near two-to-one average Eh, why worry about it, right? Might as well chalk it up to AJ Brown’s own post-game comments that he simply hates the snow and move on to the Commanders.