Getty Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown appeared to have a chance to make the tackle on Jaguars safety Andre Cisco during an interception return, but didn't make an attempt.
The Philadelphia Eagles got off to just about the worst start imaginable against the Jacksonville Jaguars, falling behind 7-0 on an interception return for a touchdown by Andre Cisco en route to falling to a 14-0 deficit. But what stung the most was that the return could have been prevented by Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown, and he appeared to quit on the play as soon as he was within reach of making the tackle. Brown owned his mistake after the game and said it was a “bad decision,” but that he didn’t give up on the play.
Chances are never given. They tooken like interceptions!
When the ball was picked, Brown started jogging towards the play and used the right angle to give himself a perfect opportunity to make the tackle around the Eagles’ 45-yardline. Brown then inexplicably slowed down, pulled up, and made no attempt to tackle Cisco.
How does A.J. Brown not even attempt to make contact here? #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Once Cisco was past him, Brown continued pursuit, even breaking into a full sprint to try to catch back up before being blocked out of the play around the 25-yardline.
Obviously wide receivers aren’t the best tacklers and it doesn’t come naturally, but it’s hard to explain away Brown’s actions near midfield given that he didn’t even attempt a tackle. Even if he didn’t bring Cisco down himself, making the attempt could have slowed down the Jaguars safety enough to let an Eagles teammate make the play.
That said, Brown did hustle afterwards to get back into the play before being blocked. It was a strange play all around by Brown, and one would imagine he won’t be looking forward to the film review of this one.
It’s also worth noting that Brown’s toughness has never been an issue and he’s made a number of tough catches in traffic this season and never appeared hesitant to take a hit to make a catch. Never the less, this play is worthy of scrutiny.
Brown admitted as much after the game, taking to Twitter to ask Eagles fans to forgive his mistake, which he chalked up to decision making.
Fortunately for the Eagles, Brown was able to laugh at his own mistake since the Birds went on to get the win.
A.J. Brown’s Play Contrasts With His Batman Nickname
In a twist of irony, Brown’s failure to make an attempt at a tackle contrasted greatly with the superhero nickname he was given by cornerback Darius Slay, who called him, “Swole Batman.”
It’s safe to say that this play didn’t lead to Brown donning the Batman cape the wide receivers have been using on the sideline.
The Eagles acquired Brown during the 2022 NFL Draft, giving up the 18th overall pick in the first round and a third round pick. The trade was possible largely because the Titans didn’t want to pay up for the star receiver.
The Eagles did, giving Brown $100 million over four years, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
A.J. Brown Could Learn From DeVonta Smith’s Attitude on Jump Balls
Fellow star receiver DeVonta Smith brought down a couple jump balls last week in the Eagles 24-8 win over the Commanders, and after the game he spoke about his attitude on jump balls. “My ball or nobody’s,” Smith said twice.
That type of attitude leads to a lot of trust between a quarterback and his receiver, as Jalen Hurts knows that if he puts the ball up there to give Smith a chance to make a play, he can count on his teammate to sell out to prevent an interception even if he can’t make the catch.
On the flip side, Hurts may not be pleased when he sees that Brown had a chance to keep Cisco out of the end zone and didn’t take it. While the intercepted pass was not intended for Brown, a quarterback certainly wants his receivers trying to make the tackle in the aftermath regardless.
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Eagles $100 Million Superstar Quits on Play on Pick-6 Touchdown