PHILADELPHIA — As the digging continues in an effort to find out what ails the Eagles offense, star receiver A.J. Brown was asked Thursday about one of the theories floating around the internet, talk radio and wherever else the state of Philadelphia’s favorite football team is being discussed.
This reddit post from @ChrisWechtFF will give you an idea of where the Brown speculation is coming from. The post came before the Eagles’ 16-9 win over the Detroit Lions Sunday night that did nothing to tamp down the speculation about the offense in general and Brown in particular.
Using statistical data from FantasyPtsData, Wecht noted the following:
*Brown’s overall win rates are down 9.5% this season.
*His zone win rate is down 7.8%.
*His man win rate is down 5.5%.
*His targets are contested 9.3% more.
Asked about the theory that his talent level is in decline, Brown smiled and said, “I guess Saquon (Barkley) ain’t the same player either then. I don’t care about that.”
Brown, despite missing four games and being part of an offense that was last in pass attempts last season, put together his third straight 1,000-yard season and his 16.1 yards per reception ranked fourth in the league. He finished 17th in receiving yards last season.
This season he has 38 catches for 457 yards in nine games and is on pace to finish with a career-low 812 yards.
Barkley’s numbers, of course, are also way down this season. After leading the league with 2,005 rushing yards last season, the star running back has 662 rushing yards in 10 games, which ranks 14th in the league. His 3.8 yards per carry ranks 36th in the league.
Brown and Barkley will get a chance to improve upon those numbers Sunday against a Dallas Cowboys defense that is ranked 31st in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed.
“I think we are (close),” Brown said. “I think that’s the mindset to have. It’s really about cleaning up mistakes ... and us finishing drives.”
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