Everyone seems so fixated on Philadelphia Eagles A.J. Brown's performance in the 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, with many forgetting that football is a team sport.
Much was talked about as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts "struggled" to get the ball into Brown's hands on offense. Brown wasn't targeted until late in the fourth quarter, when he made one reception for eight yards with 1:45 to go in the game.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had to answer yet another question on Brown in his press conference on Monday, where he used the time to tell the media what he said to the team about Brown's demeanor in the face of adversity.
“Okay, the ball hasn't come to me in three quarters.' That might be the first time that's ever happened to him in his career as a football player because he's such a good player and you're always trying to find ways to do that. But he makes a play in a critical moment when his number was called. You look for moments like that to really show and preach the stuff that's important to your core values and your culture. That was just a great example by one of our captains of, 'Hey, it didn't go exactly the way you wanted it to go, or any of us envisioned it going, that's life, that's football, but when called upon and the ball did come your way, you made this huge play.' "
“What about that mental toughness by A.J. Brown”
👊 Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on Why AJ Brown is special despite 1 catch & target in Cowboys opener
“Okay, the ball hasn't come to me in three quarters.' That might be the first time that's ever happened to him in his career as a… pic.twitter.com/mWFVtMVoAW
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) September 9, 2025
Brown stepped up when it counted the most in Eagles-Cowboys game
Sirianni wasn't kidding when he talked about the crucial moment Brown had in the game. In a time when the offense had zero momentum going into that final drive, facing a second and 11, Hurts was able to put it on the money to Brown. It might have seemed like a routine play, but it was the one that set up the Eagles with a short third down.
On the next play, Hurts would end up scrambling for four yards when he needed three to seal the game. Sirianni understands that it wasn't a game-sealing play, but it was the one that set the team up to win.
"Was it a first down? No, but it set us up to get the first down where it Dallas' offense didn't come back on the field, and you set us up to get that and make this huge play when maybe the ball wasn't going your way all night. That's why A.J.'s special because even in a game like that, he does things without the ball to help us win and he makes a play in a critical moment. Great throw by Jalen and great route and catch by A.J. and made a play in a critical moment to help us win the football game.”
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The media can try to push any narrative they want, but it won't work. They tried it last year with the "locker room drama" between Hurts and Brown, but this team is too mentally tough to let that hurt the team's goal of winning another Super Bowl.