Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni insisted on Tuesday that the relationship between wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts was just fine despite what defensive end Brandon Graham said about the matter earlier in the week.
On Wednesday, Sirianni indicated the Brown-Hurts story has been “100%” overblown as 11-2 Philadelphia prepares to host the 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.
“Again, you go on your own personal interactions, but we also understand why it could look that way,” Sirianni explained, per Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “I won’t get into what we talk about in team meetings or what my personal talks are with these guys, but we address anything and everything that we need to.”
Brown seemed to criticize Hurts after the signal-caller passed for just 108 yards in Philadelphia’s 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. While Graham raised eyebrows when he suggested on Monday that things between Brown and Hurts had “changed,” Graham later tried to walk his comments back and said he “made a mistake.”
Sirianni acknowledged on Wednesday that he had spoken with Brown and Hurts following the Carolina game.
“I see them working to get better,” Sirianni said about Brown and Hurts before Wednesday’s practice. “I see them working to get better together whether that’s after an install meeting where they gather right here (in the auditorium) and talk about how A.J. will run a route or how Jalen will read it. They spend so much time on that.”
Fair or not, the perception exists that unknown behind-the-scenes issues played some role in the 2023 Eagles going from a 10-1 team to a side that finished the regular season at 11-6 before it was thrashed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Sirianni held onto his job last winter but likely wouldn’t survive the club enduring another collapse ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles as 5.5-point favorites over the Steelers. While the encounter at Lincoln Financial Field shouldn’t be considered a must-win game for Philadelphia, Eagles fans may fear the worst if what’s become a unique week for the organization ends with a loss.
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