PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown’s on-court problems haven’t led to a family feud in the locker room yet — fair enough, both Philadelphia Eagles stars said.
Things are going well in Philly between Hurts and Brown.
“Me and Jalen are good,” Brown said.
Hurts added: “We’re good, we’re good.”
So there will be no sit-ups in the driveway, no excuses on the front lawn, and certainly, it seems, no rift between Hurts and his No. 1 receiver.
Hurts and Brown each downplayed any hint of a rift between the two Wednesday after defensive end Brandon Graham appeared on a Philadelphia sports radio station this week and suggested there was friction between the Pro Bowl duo. The two were close friends long before they became teammates and Hurts is the godfather of Brown’s daughter.
Graham’s comments — in which he noted that “things have changed” between the two, without providing details — blew up this week in Philadelphia among tabloids and fans. His insinuations that the duo were not on the same page followed Brown’s quote after a sluggish win over Carolina that the “offense” was not playing up to par, even with the Eagles at 11-2.
“BG knows he spoke out of place,” Hurts said.
Graham, who is sidelined with a triceps injury, later clarified his comments to an ESPN reporter, saying he had made the wrong assumption about the relationship between Hurts and Brown and planned to apologize to both players.
Brown, who has 109 yards combined in the last two games, said his beef with the offense wasn’t aimed at Hurts. It was everything from the play of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, to execution, to all the ingredients of a successful offense that make a team a Super Bowl contender.
The usually pass-happy Eagles have leaned more on running back Saquon Barkley, who posted a franchise single-season record of 1,623 yards against the Panthers and is chasing Eric Dickerson for the NFL title.
“It’s obviously not about running the ball,” Brown told reporters. “He’s about to win MVP. It’s clear. What other things can we do on offense? We have to pass the ball. That could be about protection, that could be about picking up the block, that’s making sure that we open the same page faster.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he never witnessed any issues between Hurts and Brown and saw just two players who worked hard together, working on routes even after practice and seemed to have a deep personal bond both on and off the field.
“You’re going to see three hours every Sunday where emotions can run as high as they’re going to play,” Sirianni said. “I see these guys every day, how they do their work and interact with each other.”
Brown, who was coming off back-to-back 1,000 yards receiving seasons, wasn’t necessarily wrong in his frustration with the passing game’s recent stagnation.
Hurts, who signed a contract extension worth a guaranteed $179.3 million ahead of the 2023 season, has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three straight games. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith – who also complained about the offense on Sunday – was also coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but has yet to break 100 yards in a game this season. Brown has four 100-yard games, well behind last season’s run when he topped 100 yards in six straight games and seven times overall.
Hurts has been more efficient than explosive this season, but has still thrown 12 touchdown passes to just one interception – and rushed for 11 more scores – during the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak, leaving them on the brink of clinching of the NFC East.
Maybe playing the Steelers at home on Sunday can snap the Eagles out of their offensive slump. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022.
“Do we all have things we can get better at in the passing game? Yeah, I think that’s obvious,” Sirianni said. “I think that’s what we’ve been talking about. We all have things we need to get better at, coaches, players. But this is why this is the best team sport there is. It takes everyone. That one person is together, each person, so that success can happen.’
