Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will be ruled out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
Brown tried to work to be ready for the wild card matchup, but he won’t make it in time for the game, according to Garafolo. If Philadelphia advances to the divisional round, Brown should be able to play.
Brown injured his knee in a week 18 matchup with the New York Giants. The Eagles had already clinched a spot in the playoffs, and the only reason the starters were playing is to attempt to win the NFC East and get better seeding.
AJ Brown coughs it up and the Giants recover, but Brown was down on the play with a knee injury — prayers up to him #NYG pic.twitter.com/YyQ11mmSP9
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) January 7, 2024
The Eagles ended up losing big to the Giants, but a victory would not have mattered anyway. The Dallas Cowboys had already locked up the NFC East as they were up big on the Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown has been the No. 1 option for the Eagles all year
A.J. Brown has over 1,400 yards receiving this season on 106 receptions. Brown’s 1,456 yards receiving is good for fifth among NFL receivers. Brown has seven touchdowns through the air as well.
Brown also has 21 receptions of over 20 yards this season. This mark is good for the 10th most 20-plus yard receptions in the NFL. Brown had seven games with over 100 yards receiving this year.
Six of those seven 100 yard games came in consecutive weeks. Brown has had less than four receptions just twice this season, and one of those instances was the game in which he got injured against the Giants. Brown arguably has one of the best catches of the season this year as well.
After a failed 4th down attempt by the @Commanders, the @eagles go 65 yards in 7 plays in just 1:14 to close it to 14-10. Amazing catch from A.J. Brown.
— The Junkies (@JunksRadio) October 29, 2023
Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith will have to step up with A.J Brown out of the picture
The Philadelphia Eagles have relied on A.J. Brown all year, with wide receiver DeVonta Smith being used as a secondary option. Smith will have to step up for the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs to help Philadelphia advance to the divisional round.
Smith eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark receiving this year. He has 81 receptions and is tied with Brown on receiving touchdowns with seven.
Smith amassed over 100 yards receiving just twice this season, but he will likely need to do it a third time if the Eagles want to win with their offense. Smith came up big in a win against the Buffalo Bills this year in a game that had a playoff feel. He had 106 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven receptions.
🚨 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡
Jalen Hurts 15 yards to Devonta Smith
Eagles: 21⇡
Bills: 24[4Q | 13:37]#FlyEaglesFly | #PHIvsBUF
— Philadelphia Eagles Central (@pheaglescentral) November 27, 2023
Smith will have to perform as the No. 1 guy, which means he will be going up against the Buccaneers’ best coverage defenders. All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will likely be keying in on Smith from deep in the secondary, as Smith is notorious for his deep-threat ability.
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