A week that began with fears related to potential issues between quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown sinking the Philadelphia Eagles’ promising season ended with the two connecting on eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles improved to 12-2 via Sunday’s 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Following the victory, Hurts and Brown tried to put talk about a potential locker-room controversy to bed for good.
“The approach was a little different this week,” Hurts said after he completed 25-of-32 passes for 290 yards and a pair of scores against Pittsburgh, as shared by ESPN’s Tim McManus. “The grass will be green where you water it, and we decided to water [the pass game], and you kind of saw the fruits of our labor in that.”
This particular saga began when Brown seemed to criticize Hurts after the signal-caller passed for just 108 yards in Philadelphia’s 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 8. The story then took an unexpected turn when defensive end Brandon Graham later said that the two teammates “were friends, but things have changed.” Graham quickly walked his original comments back, and it was subsequently revealed that Hurts, Brown and head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the topic during preparations for the Steelers game.
“I said it for a reason,” Brown explained after the win over Pittsburgh about his comments following the Carolina game, per Bobby Kownack of the NFL’s website. “I didn’t have ill intentions behind it. It wasn’t for me to get the ball. It was for us to all get on the same page and put the best foot forward. It wasn’t our standard. We spoke about it. It’s just crazy though because everybody in the locker room is saying the same thing. I kind of got crucified for it. But it’s cool.”
Hurts and Brown enjoyed a choreographed celebration after the two hooked up for a first-quarter score versus Pittsburgh. During his post-win media availability, Brown said that dance “was our moment to tell everybody to shut up.”
The fact that the Eagles have won 10 games in a row following their Week 5 bye should help silence talk about supposed behind-the-scenes issues impacting the club for a second straight December.
“First of all, I didn’t call anybody out. Behind closed doors we talk about that,” Brown added. “We call each other out, and that’s very uncomfortable because you don’t want to feel like you’re getting attacked. But we’re not in it for feelings. We’re trying to get on the same page. We’re trying to win, most importantly. It is uncomfortable. But you know what the end goal is so you move past.”
The Eagles will next try to show they’ve moved past the Hurts-Brown drama when they play at the 9-5 Washington Commanders this Sunday. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Philadelphia as a 3.5-point favorite for that contest.
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