The Philadelphia Eagles were able to get through a stern Wild Card test against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday without much of a passing game. Instead, it was the ground attack and the defense that led the Eagles to a 22-10 victory to advance to the Divisional Round.
Of course, the Eagles know that they will have to get more production through the air moving forward if they want to eventually win an NFC Championship and compete for a Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts must play better and the Eagles have to get their two star receivers involved in order to have more consistent success on the offensive side of the ball. One of those stars on the outside is wide receiver AJ Brown, who has been battling through a knee injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday.
Despite the concerning injury report, Brown says that there’s no reason for Eagles fans to panic. Wednesday’s absence was planned, and the star wideout says that he’ll be back out there on Thursday as he gets ready for the game, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP.
“Yeah, I felt fine after the game,” Brown said, per Shorr-Parks. “Came out clean, and it’s all just part of the plan. I’ll be out there tomorrow.”
Eagles must get AJ Brown involved in order to reach ceiling
The Eagles have built one of the best rosters in the NFL, but they haven’t quite been maximizing that on the offensive side of the ball. Saquon Barkley is obviously one of the best players in the league and he gets his fair share of touches behind an elite offensive line, but the Eagles have a pair of excellent pass catchers that aren’t being used to their full potential.
AJ Brown has proven that he is a game-breaking talent when he’s playing well, but the Eagles haven’t been able to consistently involve him in the game plan recently. During Sunday’s win over the Packers, Brown was targeted just three times and finished with one catch for 10 yards. Maybe the knee injury played a part in his limited usage, but there’s no question that Brown is a better player than that stat line suggests.
Brown has the ability to be a big play threat both by making big catches down the field and by taking short passes and turning them into big gains. The Eagles could even look to get Brown more involved on some easy throws for Jalen Hurts, such as screens and RPO’s, that give Brown a chance to make guys miss after the catch.
That could especially work against a Rams defense that doesn’t have the elite talent that the Eagles offense has. During the regular season meeting between the two, a 37-20 Eagles win, Brown finished with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. If they can get him more involved, they can start to generate some more explosive plays that don’t have to just come from Barkley on the ground.
