A J Brown tried to keep it in-house for weeks. Tried to stay patient. Tried to act like everything was fine in a Philadelphia Eagles’ offense that has looked nothing like the group that bulldozed the league two years ago. That patience finally snapped on Twitch when Brown looked into the camera and gave the city an unfiltered message.
Scene Set
Eagles (7-2, 3-1 Home vs Lions (6-3. 3-2 Away)
Betting Line: Eagles -2.5 Over/Under 46.6
Money Line: Eagles -140, Lions +125
Where: Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA
When: Sunday November 16, 2025
TV: NBC/Peacock 8:20 pm
“Family good,” he said. “Everything else? It’s a shitshow.”
Then he delivered the line that echoed through the entire franchise.
“If you’ve got eyes, you can see what’s going on.”
At the time, some fans brushed it off as frustration. Some blamed the play calling. Some blamed coverage. Some blamed a midseason slump. Brown was telling the truth in real time. It just took the rest of the country a few days to catch up. Now The Athletic’s Dianna Russini has confirmed what Brown hinted at. The tension is real. The frustration is shared. The issue is centered on the quarterback.
Russini did not dance around the problem. She wrote, “There’s no more guessing about whether Brown is happy playing in this offense. He told the world he’s miserable.” She went further, asking the question that people within the team have been trying to avoid. What exactly is going on behind closed doors. Russini spoke with people inside the building and came back with a blunt answer.
“After doing some digging and asking people inside the Eagles building, it was explained that multiple offensive players have grown frustrated with Jalen Hurts’ approach this season, particularly against zone coverage,” she reported. “They believe he’s become hesitant in tight windows, leaning on checkdowns or scrambles instead of trusting what’s open downfield.”
That is the exact complaint Brown made without directly saying Hurts’ name. He is open. He is winning. He is creating separation. The ball is not coming.
The numbers make the case more brutally than any quote. Last year in the first nine games Brown had 44 catches for 793 yards and four touchdowns. This year in the same span he has 31 for 408 and three. That is not a dip. That is a cliff dive. Meanwhile DeVonta Smith’s yards are up. Dallas Goedert’s touchdowns have exploded. The running backs are more involved. The auxiliary receivers are more involved. The only player who has seen his volume cut in half is the best receiver on the roster.
Russini explained why players are checking out.
“Philadelphia ranks 30th in pass attempts. The result? Pass catchers become disinterested. Any top receiver I have covered in this league has said the same thing. They spend hours getting open. When the ball does not come their way, frustration follows.”
That matches everything Brown said on Twitch. It matches everything fans have been yelling at their TVs. It matches what defenses have been daring Hurts to do. Throw into tight windows. Trust your guy. Let him win.
This year he has shifted into a cautious, safety-first passer who needs receivers to be wide open. That kills timing. That kills rhythm. That kills the identity that made the Eagles dangerous. But has it really?
Russini pointed out the one benefit to this shift in style.
“They have committed the fewest turnovers in the league, and Hurts has thrown just one interception all season…It is conservative, but it is working… to a point.”
That is the keyword. To a point. yes, to point where you can win a Super Bowl playing that way.
Let me reming everyone that the shift in philosophy came after game four last year, and the infamous bye that changed everything.
In the first four games last year Hurts threw four interceptions and fumbled five times, losing three of them. After the bye he threw 0ne meaningless pick the rest of the regular season and one in the playoffs that was as good as a punt. The Eagles as a unit finished their playoff run with an astounding 11 takeaways to just one giveaway and folks that’s a winning formula.
Through nine games this year Hurts has only thrown one interception and the Birds lead the league in fewest turnovers with four. That’s why they have a 7-2 record, one of the league’s best.
It works in the standings. But apparently does not work in the locker room. It works for minimizing mistakes. It does not work for maximizing stars. It works for keeping Hurts protected. It does not work for a receiver who draws the best corner and a rotating safety every single week.
Jeff McLane of The Inquirer added his voice with a direct observation. “Where do I think Brown’s main grievance lies. I think it is how Hurts plays quarterback.” He added that Hurts is a champion and a Super Bowl MVP, but his playing style “is not what you would call receiver friendly.”
Brown certainly feels that way, and according to Russini, so do several other offensive players. “This isn’t just Brown venting. The whole unit wants more trust, more communication and maybe a little more edge from its leader.”
That is the story now. It is no longer one angry star. It is no longer one Twitch rant. It is no longer speculation. The Eagles offense is divided on philosophy. The quarterback is playing safe. The receivers want him to stop. Brown said it publicly. Russini confirmed it privately.
The only question now is how long the Eagles can keep winning before this blows past frustration and becomes something far bigger? We shall see. Stay tuned.
PREDICTION: Eagles 23, Lions 20