Getty A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles.
A.J. Brown didn’t have to face All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Week 6 loss to the New York Jets, but the two still had a fun exchange on social media.
It started when Gardner, who was ruled out of the game with a concussion, wrote the following on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I feel perfectly fine. That’s the crazy part about it.”
Brown responded with this meme:
Then, after Gardner watched his team eke out a 20-14 upset, the Jets corner threw a little more shade, re-sharing the same exact image while noting: “that getback a mf.” To his credit, Brown took it with humor and grace and responded with a one-word response: “Touché.”
A.J. Brown, Eagles Failed to Take Full Advantage of Sauce Gardner’s Absence
Brown finished with seven catches for 131 yards in Philadelphia’s loss against a tough Jets defense. New York was without Gardner, fellow starting defensive back D.J. Reed and backup Brandin Echols.
The Jets’ defense held the Eagles to a season-low 14 points, forcing quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense to turn the ball over four times. Gardner in particular is widely regarded as one of the best cover corners in the NFL. The Jets CB has allowed 17 catches on 23 targets for an average of 8.9 yards per catch this year.
Brown had a solid game, but without Gardner there to pester him all day, many fans and analysts expected a potential multiple-TD performance. That didn’t happen.
“We are holding each other accountable. We will grow from it,” Brown said after the loss, via John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We have a standard here. We didn’t play to our standard. We have to hold each other accountable.”
A.J. Brown Off to Hot Start for Eagles
In his last four games, including the loss to the Jets, Brown has 31 catches for 564 yards and two touchdowns. He is the first player since 2014 with 125 or more receiving yards in four straight games, according to PFF. A Pro Bowl selection in his first season with the Eagles last year, he has picked right up where he left off.
Clark also reported that Brown and Hurts were two of the players who addressed the team in the locker room after the loss. According to Clark, Philly’s head coach, Nick Sirianni, didn’t need to speak to the team about what went wrong because Brown and the other leaders on the squad held each other accountable.
I’m told in Eagles locker room after the loss, AJ Brown started talking to the team then Haason Reddick joined in and Jalen Hurts spoke to the team. They did not need Nick Sirianni to speak to the team. They spoke about being accountable for yourself and being accountable for the…
“It’s OK to [be] a little frustrated because sometimes you need that, to light a fire under everybody’s ass,” Brown said, via Yahoo! Sports. “I think everybody’s got this laser focus now. And you be needing that.”
The Eagles still sit atop the NFC East with a 5-1 record, but few saw their loss to the 3-3 Jets coming. With the AFC powerhouse Miami Dolphins on deck Week 7, Philly can ill afford to lose two games in a row. Miami boasts the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense, so a real slugfest could take place, particularly if Hurts and Brown keep finding ways to connect.