"Things have changed" - Eagles DE points out beef between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown amid winning streak
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles survived a massive scare against the Carolina Panthers, beating them 22-16 to improve to 11-2 and keep their hopes of a first-round bye in the playoffs alive. Despite extending their win streak to nine games, all's not well in the locker room.
A.J. Brown, who finished the game with four catches for 43 yards, was frustrated about his lack of targets and took shots at Jalen Hurts. During a chat with reporters after the game, he was asked what the Eagles could improve on and he bluntly responded, "Passing."
His answer hinted at issues between him and Hurts. Defensive end Brandon Graham stoked the flame and confirmed that the duo are not on good terms during his appearance on Sports Radio 94 WIP. When asked about Brown's answer, the veteran said:
"The person that’s complaining needs to be accountable. I don’t know the whole story, but I know that 1 [Hurts] is trying and I mean, 11 [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. And they were friends before this, but things have changed. And I understand that because life happens."
Graham, who's out for the season due to a torn tricep, insisted that the wide receiver needs to wisen up and not let his issues with Hurts affect the team. He added:
"It’s the business side that we have to make sure that we don’t let the personal get in the way of the business. And that’s what we gotta do better right now because we know it’s an issue. But we need to let personal stuff go, and let’s get right for this game."
Jalen Hurts agrees there's room for improvement
While Brandon Graham believes A.J. Brown was wrong in publicly calling out Jalen Hurts, the quarterback admitted he has to improve his passing. In the post-game press conference, he said:
"I think [the Panthers] did a good job [to limit the Eagles' passing game]; I think we did a bad job. That starts with me, how I execute. Ultimately, you yearn and I yearn for better synchronization, for a more complimentary style of ball, in a sense. You know, some things don’t get you until it gets you. And there’s definitely been some urgency there, trying to figure it out.”
Hurts has thrown for only 2,602 passing yards in 14 games this season and hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards in his last three outings.
The Eagles' wide receivers haven't had much to do, prompting frustration in the locker room. It remains to be seen how Philadelphia navigates through this precarious situation and prevents it from derailing its stellar season.