The Philadelphia Eagles were able to knock off the Dallas Cowboys, 24-20, in Week 1, despite a below average game for wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown finished the game with only one catch and eight yards, and he was only targeted that one time. The Eagles got one big play to Jahan Dotson in the passing game, but that was it.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts did go 19-of-23 throwing the ball, but he finished with only 152 yards. It was a lot of check downs to the running backs and tight ends, as he completed only seven passes to wide receivers.
After the game, rumors started swirling on whether or not Brown could be traded. Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd even threw out Kansas City as a destination.
However, the Eagles came out and said that Brown would be targeted much more in Week 2, something which NFL.com insider Mike Garafolo eluded to on NFL Insiders on Sunday.
"If you think the plan going into the game against the Cowboys was to get him just one target, you're wrong," Garafolo said. There were a lot of plays dialed up for Brown. They just didn't come to fruition for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it was because of the Cowboys and the defense that they threw at the Eagles. Other times, the window was just too small, so Jalen Hurts wound up making a play with his legs. They're happy with the win over Dallas. They are looking to get Brown involved more and early today against the Chiefs."
Playing a division rival in Week 1 of the season makes it tough to show the full offense. The Cowboys know the Eagles as well as anybody, and had a very good defensive game-plan.
Also, with the way teams run their off-seasons and the lack of reps in the preseason, teams are using the early games in the regular season to get into a rhythm.
The Eagles did a good job of managing the game, and doing what was needed to get the win. Up next is a Super Bowl rematch against a Chiefs team that will be looking to avoid an 0-2 start.
They lost their opener to the Los Angeles Chargers, as Justin Herbert threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs really struggled to guard on the perimeter, as the Chargers had receivers running open the entire day.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is as good as there is in the sport at taking away the strength of an offense. For the Eagles, that is stopping Saquon Barkley.
Brown and the other receivers could see a lot of one-on-one coverage on the outside. If that is the case and coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts are true to their word, Brown is going to see the ball early and often on Sunday.
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