By Brandon Simmons
Has A.J. Brown Reached his Breaking Point?
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to remain undefeated, but someone should tell that to Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Monday, Brown posted a cryptic tweet in the wake of his performance where he got 2 catches for only 7 yards:
This isn’t the first time that he has vented frustration with his production in the offense. Last year, after the Eagles won their 9th straight game and clinched their 4th straight playoff spot, Brown expressed his frustration with the passing game after he put up 4 catches for 43 yards in a win over the Carolina Panthers. Most recently, in the season opening win against the Dallas Cowboys, Brown had only one catch for 7 yards; the following he slightly had a better day with 5 catches for 27 yards. In Sundays win, Brown had 3 those catches but off of 9 targets.
There is no way around it, A.J. Brown can either accept the way this offense is ran or find another route, no pun intended. Philly’s doesn’t seem to have a system based on high passing volume and, unfortunately for Brown, it’s worked. This has been their identity since getting running back Saquon Barkley last year in free agency, who almost had the single season rushing record last year. Yes, they’ll show flashes of an aerial attack – such as last week’s win against the Los Angeles Rams where Brown had 6 catches for 109 yards – but only if it’s going to get them the win. Mind you, this team was down at halftime and had to throw their way back in the game. Even though that wasn’t the case, the Eagles still had 0 passing yards in the 2nd half but were still able to pull off the win. The time will come when this team will be challenged on their passing attack, and it seems like Brown lives for that moment. However, what’s going to happen when that hypothetical defense executes a gameplan to take Brown out of the game? He is an outstanding receiver, but defenses aren’t stupid. Defenses will likely replicate the Bucs’ formula of getting to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and limiting his passing ability, thus limiting Brown’s production
Who Really Won the Packers/Cowboys Game?
The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys had a classic clash on Sunday Night that ended in a tie, but that might have been the least of the storylines. It was the first time that Packers defensive end Micah Parsons returned to Dallas after being traded from the Cowboys a week before the regular season. However, it was a game that showcased both offenses in an overtime shootout/ Packers QB Jordan Love threw for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns whole Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. As for Parsons, He had 3 tackles but did make a sack that stopped a Dallas touchdown in overtime.
Sure, this was a tie, but the winner of this game would have to be the Dallas Cowboys. Since the trade, the Cowboys have been written off for the most part and have lived up to that criticism. Coming into this game, they were 1-2 and also coming off of a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys defense has not been better either, which has also lived up to everyone’s expectations when giving away your best player, who happens to play on defense. Not to mention, they were facing a team that was deemed a Super Bowl contender the moment they got Parsons and have played to that level so far this season. So for Dallas to face a team of that pedigree with the season they’re having and leave with that result should be marked as a win. It also should be noted that Prescott put up these numbers without his best receiver, CeeDee Lamb, who was out due to a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 3. Now, that doesn’t negate that they have major issues that need to be fixed, but it makes the outlook more encouraging once those changes are made. That could be done through personnel or just simple coaching; either way it should encourage the team to make those moves sooner than later. What better motivation do you need than a tie against your historic rival, who was expected to come in and bowl you over with a guy who was once deemed as your best player.
Ravens Ravaged by Injuries
The Baltimore Ravens are struggling and look no further than the injury report for the reason. Monday, Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madibuke was ruled out for the year due to a neck injury. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey suffered a calf injury that is expected to have him miss some time, in addition to linebacker Roquan Smith expected to miss a couple of weeks due to a hamstring sprain. Both players acquired these injuries during the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a game that saw other Baltimore players such as offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Nate Wiggins exit because of injury. However, the biggest injury news from that game, was Ravens QB Lamar Jackson suffering a hamstring injury, in which he will miss 2-3 games.
The Ravens are facing a huge obstacle to turn their season around with all of these injuries happening right now. It’s not like the situation with the Cincinnati Bengals, where one star player is out; a lot of their key pieces are down, and that’s before Jackson got his injury. Baltimore’s rough start did them no favors as they are 1-3 and have some tough games ahead. It’s going to be tough finding that midseason form with all of these players missing time around the same time.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to owning up to an error. Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was leaving the locker room at halftime, trailing 14-9 to the Las Vegas Raiders, and was stopped for an interview by CBS’ Aditi Kinkhabwala. She asked him,” Do you need to change what you’re doing?” but it sounded more like the commanding version, which was without the “Do you”. Thinking he heard the latter, he sharply responded, “I don’t know, you think so? We’re going to be just fine.” Tuesday, in his press conference, Johnson expressed that he realized there was some miscommunication zin that moment and regrets how it went out.
Shut out to coaches acting a fool, but not really. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen had a vivid exchange. It derived from Saleh making comments saying the Jagiars were good at legal sign stealing. Obviously, Coen did not take too kindly to the words and shouted at Saleh to keep his name out of his mouth. There is also video circulating of Saleh telling Coen he would destroy him. Coen was able to walk away with the on field victory as the Jaguars beat the Niners 26-21.
Week 5 is going to see 2 primetime games shake things up. Thursday night, the NFC West is showcased for a 2nd straight week when the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers. Monday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Kansas City Chiefs, 2 surprising teams for different reasons this year. The Chiefs started rough going 0-2 but have won 2 straight. The Jaguars have jumped out to a 3-1 start and coming off a big win over the 49ers. This game might be a test for Kansas City to see if they are almost back to where they need to be or if Jacksonville is the real deal as their record suggests. But until then…I’ll holla.
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