Through three weeks of this NFL season, there are still a half-dozen teams undefeated. One of them is the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. However, despite their perfect start, there has been more talk about what the Birds have been doing wrong so far in this campaign.
Advertisement
And much of that criticism centers on the offense and how they’re attacking opponents. Last year, Philly won a Super Bowl largely on the strength of their running game. But three weeks into this season, it seems teams aren’t making the same mistake twice. Saquon Barkley is averaging just 3.3 yards a carry on 58 totes so far this season. So why not let the passing game stretch its legs?
That’s what WR1 A.J. Brown seemed to suggest after his first big performance of the year (six receptions, 109 yards, one TD) helped spark the Eagles’ comeback win in Week 3.
Brown’s partner in crime, DeVonta Smith, also had eight receptions for 60 yards and a score. While Brown stayed politically correct in the locker room, while talking about how the offense has been operating this season, former NFL wideout Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson had to speak out for him.
“I’ma say it for him. Hey coach [Kevin] Patullo! I’m a top-five receiver in the league, you hear me? Man, give me the ball early,” Johnson said on the Nightcap podcast.
“It doesn’t even have to be something crazy. Just let me touch the ball early in the game in the first quarter. Let me touch it… Let’s have a little balance… We got A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and we’re 29th in passing. In what world does that make sense?” Ocho then asked.
Smith and Brown combined for over 150 yards, 14 receptions, and two TDs. That’s solid production. But through three games, it seems this level of output from the Eagles’ passing game only comes when the running game struggles.
Brown spoke in the locker room about how he’d like to see a bit more of a diversified approach on offense. Though he clearly didn’t let any emotions get the best of him here.
“It’s out there now. We got a lot of good players. We believe that we can do some special things. Obviously, it’s about being on the same page… Let us go hoop, and let us have fun.”
Through three games, DeVonta Smith has 15 receptions for 129 yards and one TD. A.J. Brown, meanwhile, has just 12 receptions for 144 yards and one score. When you consider their numbers from Week 3’s 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams, you see just how silent these two WRs were in the first couple of weeks.
Last year, despite both missing four games apiece, Smith and Brown finished with receiving lines of 68-833-8 and 67-1,079-7, respectively.
If we go by per-game numbers, Smith and Brown are both on pace to go way below their 2024 numbers. But if Barkley and the Eagles’ running game continue to be bottled up, that cautious approach simply cannot continue.
