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The Philadelphia Eagles survived an injury to quarterback Jalen Hurts and a fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Los Angeles Rams to win their divisional round matchup and advance to the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders.
While the Eagles won 28-22, running back Saquon Barkley did the heavy lifting against the Rams as Philly’s passing game produced just 128 scoreless yards. All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown was a non factor for the Eagles’ offense, as he failed to top 15 receiving yards for the second straight contest.
Despite a surprising lack of production in the postseason, Brown isn’t concerned. “I can’t worry about it. I can just look at the film and learn from it. At the end of the day we won. I had some incredible blocks. I know people care about numbers, but right now that don’t matter,” Brown said per Eagles Nation on X.
After recording his third straight 1,000 yard season, and the fifth of his six-year career, Brown has failed to make an impact in the playoffs. In the Wild Card round he caught one pass on three targets for 10 yards but Philadelphia defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10. Brown then hauled in two of his seven targets in the divisional round for 14 yards.
Fortunately for Philly, the league’s leading rusher carried the team. Barkley racked up 205 yards on 26 totes while scoring two long touchdowns from 62 and 78 yards out, as snow covered Lincoln Financial Field.
Barkley busted out against the Rams after the Packers held him in check for the most part. The seventh-year veteran had 123 total yards on 27 touches against Green Bay.
Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni mirrored Brown’s comments when asked about the wideout’s performance, telling reporters that getting the win is all that matters. Ultimately, there doesn’t seem to be much concern in Philadelphia around Brown’s lack of production.
The Eagles’ WR1 was caught on camera reading a book on the sideline during Philly’s win over the Packers. In the divisional round, Brown blamed his struggles on the snow. Still, it feels as if the three-time Pro Bowler is due for a breakout game.
The Eagles will host the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. It’s the first time the NFC East rivals have met in the playoffs since 1991. While Brown might be due for an impactful outing, the Commanders are a tough draw.
Although Washington’s defense was middle of the pack this season, the unit is quite stingy against the pass. The Commanders boasted the third-best passing defense in the league during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Eagles had the NFL’s top-ranked overall defense, allowing just 278.4 total yards per game in 2024.
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