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Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown was proudly donning his NFC East champions hat and shirt as he chatted with reporters in the locker room. He was all smiles, especially after breaking Mike Quick’s franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season.
Brown set the new mark on the first play from scrimmage, a 35-yard reception from Jalen Hurts on a short slant where he plowed ahead for some serious YAC. He had 4 catches for 95 yards to close the 2022 campaign with 1,436 yards. Brown’s historic year was a big reason why the Eagles are the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It’s also why Brown – despite being draped in NFC East championship gear – wasn’t in a champagne-popping mood. He’s looking to get fitted for two more hats.
“You want me to be honest? I want more,” Brown told reporters. “It is cool for the moment. The past couple years, I gave my hat to my daughter, and I am going to give this one to her and try and continue to give her more hats. There are two more hats out there and I am trying to get it. My sights are that I am looking forward and what I can try and do to get better and taking this game one game at a time in the playoffs.”
Those two hats would read “NFC Champions” and “Super Bowl Champions.” Brown advanced to the AFC Championship Game as a member of the Tennessee Titans but fell short of a Super Bowl in 2020. That Titans team lost on the road; this Eagles team will be playing in their home stadium if they get to the NFC Championship Game.
“That is really important. This place is going to be rocking,” Brown said. “It is going to be a hard place to play here. I am pretty sure that the game is going to be at night.”
Jalen Hurts’ Message: ‘Job Isn’t Done’
Quarterback Jalen Hurts showed up to the podium wearing an iconic Michael Jordan “I’m Back” shirt, just to remind everyone that he was indeed back from injury. He wasn’t 100-percent on Sunday against the New York Giants, but he was determined to play. Hurts finished 20-of-35 for 229 yards while showing off his right shoulder on a 37-yard bomb to best friend A.J. Brown in the second quarter. He failed to throw a touchdown, although a scoring toss to DeVonta Smith was called back due to a Landon Dickerson penalty. The Eagles still beat the Giants 22-16.
“I think everything happens the way it’s supposed to,” Hurts told reporters. “I was pushing myself to be available, and it wasn’t an easy thing. It wasn’t easy; it’s still not easy. But we’re here, we’re thankful, and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.”
Just like Brown, Hurts isn’t satisfied to wear just one hat with the playoffs set to begin.
“I think it’s a huge accomplishment, and maybe I’m not realizing the magnitude of it just yet,” Hurts said. “I just know that we have so much more out there for us, so I’m eager to get back to work and continue to grow with these guys. I challenge everybody in that locker room to not only hold themselves accountable but also hold the men next to them accountable.”
Eagles Waiting for Divisional Round Opponent
Philadelphia will have a full week to rest up and heal after earning a first-round bye. The team will be sitting home comfortably just like Eagles fans next weekend on their couches watching a competitive slate of wild-card games: No. 6 New York Giants at No. 3 Minnesota Vikings; No. 5 Dallas Cowboys at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers; No. 7 Seattle Seahawks at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers.
Nick Sirianni talked about the advantages of everything running through Philadelphia. The second-year head coach is a first-time NFC East champion.
“That’s a big advantage, to be able to have a week where everybody else is playing for their playoff life and we get a week to work on what we need to work on,” Sirianni said. “We get a week to self-scout ourselves, a week to see what has been working for us, what hasn’t been working for us. That’s a big deal. So, we’ll take that week and be in that moment for this week, enjoy this one tonight, and we will get better from this.”
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