This week, A.J. Brown and the Eagles will go up against a Cowboys team that contrasts them in a number of ways.
On paper, both the Eagles and Cowboys have two of the league’s best receiving duos in Philadelphia’s Brown and DeVonta Smith and Dallas’s George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. Despite the talent of both duos, the Cowboys are significantly better at getting the ball to those playmakers. Pickens is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 908 yards and seven touchdowns while Smith is 14th with 665 yards on the year.
Meanwhile, Brown ranks just 46th with 457 yards. Even Lamb, who has played in fewer games due to injury, has 557 yards this season. While the Eagles offense underperforms on an almost weekly basis and relies on their defense, the Cowboys run through their explosive offense to give them a chance to win games.
Ahead of Sunday's game, Brown was asked if he pays attention to what other receivers do, including Lamb. Brown immediately said, “Nah,” explaining that doing so upsets him.
A.J. Brown said he tries not to keep track of what other top receivers do around the league.
Why not?
“It gets me upset.” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/nQai7hhvG1
— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) November 20, 2025
“I stay away from it,” he continued. “There’s a time and place for it. Right now, I’m just trying to stay focused.”
The reporter then clarified he was asking from a skillset perspective. Brown responded that the only receiver he watches in that regard is retired wideout Julio Jones, who he has long called one of his idols and the reason he wears the No. 11.
These comments come not long after Brown said while playing Madden on a Twitch stream, "That's the only highlights of d— football I been living right now,” and told people to drop him in fantasy football.
Brown clarified what he said on Twitch when speaking to reporters the following day. “It’s been, week after week sometimes, we’re not contributing, we’re not doing our job on offense,” Brown said earlier this month. “You can’t just keep slapping the band-aid over that. You expect to win late in the year and you think you can go to it at the end of the year, it’s not going to f—ing happen. It’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. ... I want to win, yes. I want to help contribute to it as well. Do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.”
It’s not hard to understand where Brown is coming from. Brown has been one of the most productive receivers in recent years, but this season, he has not been able to contribute the way that receivers like Pickens, Lamb, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Ja’Marr Chase have for their teams. It’s not because other Eagles skill players are performing exceptionally, either. Once again, the Eagles offense is not living up to their talent level, and Brown is on track for the lowest statistical production of his career.
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