Getty Images A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
A.J. Brown is sick of Monday Night Football.
The Philadelphia Eagles star receiver said the NFL is doing players a disservice by scheduling prime time games on Monday night.
“The Monday night games,” Brown said during his December 20 appearance on the “DraftKings Discord” podcast. “I think they shoulda took [them] out. I know it’s cool, everybody watching you on Monday night, but the turnaround after that, it’s difficult, especially if you leave the game a little banged up.”
Brown and the Eagles are coming off a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, on Monday Night Football in Week 15 and are set to host the New York Giants in a second consecutive Monday game, this time on Christmas.
It is rare for teams to play consecutive Monday games, but usually playing on Monday night means a shorter turnaround for the following week’s game and greater injury risk.
“It most definitely does, honestly,” Brown said. “Because it’s a short week and then right after the game you only have a certain amount of time just for your body to recover, and it speeds up the process, and that adds … wear and tear with practice. So it gets difficult.”
Against the Seahawks, Brown was virtually a nonfactor, catching just five passes for 56 yards.
Jalen Hurts Clarifies ‘Commitment’ Comments
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts caused a stir when it appeared he called out his teammates at the podium following Monday night’s loss to the Seahawks.
“I don’t think we all were committed enough,” Hurts told reporters.
He clarified on December 21 that he was singling himself out and challenging himself to rebound from a 17-of-31 performance in which he passed for a season-low 143 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
“My mind was in a place of really just trying to challenge myself, challenge myself,” Hurts told reporters. “I think when you think holistically about the things we want to accomplish and everything we’re trying to do. It all runs through me, it all starts with me. When I say ‘we’ I mean ‘me’ because I’m the point guard out there. I’m the one that makes everything go. I’m the guy that everyone trusts to set the pace for everything. That’s in my play, that’s in my leadership, that’s in every aspect of the game. That comes with the shoes that I walk in.
“This is a challenge to myself. You challenge yourself and you challenge the people around you. I think it’s just a situation where we are, where it’s just something that we’re going through, not something we’re stuck in. It’s beauty in all of this. It’s beauty in all of it and I embrace every ounce of it.”
The Eagles will need Hurts to play at a much higher level in the final three games against the Giants and Arizona Cardinals, if Philadelphia is going to regain the NFC East lead and have any chance at chasing down the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Jalen Hurts was trying to Force the Ball to A.J. Brown
The play that ended the Eagles’ comeback bid against the Seahawks was Hurts’ second interception of the game, and an uncharacteristic decision.
Turns out Hurts was trying to force the ball to Brown, despite the fact that the Eagles trailed by only three points with 13 seconds remaining on first-and-10 from their own 45-yard line, when a long field goal try would have sufficed to try to tie the game and send it to overtime.
“I was just trying to give him a shot down the field,” Hurts explained during his Dec. 21 press conference. “There’s always plays that you wish you can get back, in the Jets game, in the Vikings game, in all of these games throughout the year. So it’s just a learning opportunity.”
Hurts and the Eagles will aim to rebound at home against the Giants at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Christmas.