It doesn't get much better than the Dallas Cowboys versus the Philadelphia Eagles in the late afternoon slate on a Sunday. It's the closest thing to a primetime game, only fans of both teams won't have to navigate the agonizing wait for a standalone kickoff.
While the Cowboys' hopes of winning the NFC East are over, a win on Sunday would give them a realistic chance of sneaking back into the playoff race. An Eagles loss would carry major ramifications for the NFC hierarchy. It's a massive game for both sides, and yet A.J. Brown can't help but throw lit matches into the locker room during his media availability.
It's no secret that Brown and Jalen Hurts have not been on the same page this season. Brown has done everything but throw Hurts under the bus, but it hasn't exactly been hard to read between the lines of his quotes. When asked to respond to the speculation that he's not the player he once was, Brown decided to take Saquon Barkley down with him.
"I guess Saquon (Barkley) ain't the same player either then," Brown said. "But I don’t got no comment about that. I don’t care about that.”
AJ Brown actively dividing Eagles locker room before Cowboys game
Brown's media games haven't been enough to prevent the Eagles from winning. They are 8-3 and cruising to another NFC East title.
However, the stagnancy of the offense has gotten to a point that even team reporters are beginning to point out the flaws in Hurts' game. Longtime Eagles reporter Derrick Gunn led that charge during an appearance on The Seth Joyner Show.
"You look at a lot of quarterbacks, they’re going to sling it,” Gunn said. “They’re going to try to throw it through the eye of the needle. Sometimes you just have to take that chance. That’s not his game. That’s why he stands back there; a lot of the time, he’s patting the ball, patting the ball, and it throws the timing of the offense off. The rhythm is thrown off. ...They can’t get him out of it."
This follows The Athletic's Dianna Russini reporting that both Brown and fellow receiver DeVonta Smith are "frustrated with their roles" in the offense. Let's not forget that Brown recently told fantasy managers to drop him, and he said, "This is the only positive I got," after he scored a touchdown with himself in Madden.
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In theory, the Eagles should be able to feed Brown and Smith. They have the talent to be the best WR duo in the league, right up there with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They just haven't been able to showcase that because Hurts doesn't let it rip.
The Eagles' sheer talent on offense has helped them make enough plays to keep winning, but anyone with two functioning eyes can see that they are being carried by the defense. It will be interesting to see how Philly responds after yet another week of Brown taking a torch to the offense.