Eagles WR A.J. Brown Reacts to Criticism He Slowed Up on Missed TD Pass
Posted October 6, 2025
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A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
After getting the best of the competition throughout the first month of the 2025 NFL season, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles lost their first game of their title defense in Week 5 to the Denver Broncos.
Every single game the Eagles have played this season has been close, and Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field was no different, with Bo Nix and company pulling out the four-point win on the road.
However, the outcome of this game, and the Eagles’ record, would’ve been likely much different had stars Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown been on the same page on a play that could’ve resulted in an easy touchdown for Philadelphia.
A.J. Brown’s Telling Response to Criticism
During the first three quarters of Week 5’s matchup with the Broncos, the Eagles were in complete control, taking a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, with the consensus being that Philadelphia was well on its way to a fifth straight win to start the season.
Unfortunately, the fourth quarter was when Sean Payton’s squad began to turn it on, scoring 18 points in the quarter, which proved to be the difference in the game.
After the game, during media availability at his locker, Brown was asked about a play in which it looked like there would’ve been a game-changing touchdown between him and Hurts. Still, he appeared to let up early, resulting in the football soaring over his head.
“From my point of view, it was just missed,” Brown said of the missed opportunity for a touchdown. “It’s not that I didn’t think the ball was coming. When I looked up, I didn’t see the ball. I looked back, I didn’t see the ball, and then the ball was thrown. Like I said, we just missed.”
Brown was also asked if he and Hurts talked about the missed opportunity, giving a one-word response.
“No,” Brown said.
The veteran wide receiver was also asked if they’ll look back on the play as a moment that could’ve changed the game.
“Yeah, but there’s so much more that you can look at and determine what we didn’t do well at,” Brown said.
Even though it wasn’t said aloud, Brown seemed frustrated, as he hadn’t exactly been involved in the offense like he’d have wanted to be, considering he’s one of the best wide receivers in the league coming off a Super Bowl title.
Missed Eagles’ Touchdown Opportunity on A.J. Brown?
Despite what Brown says publicly, the footage of the play in which he appears to let up on his run for the football seems fairly telling, which was clipped by Victor Williams of USA Today.
This isn’t a great look for Brown, as it seems he stopped running on a play in which he could’ve caught the pass, scored, and potentially won the game for the Eagles.
During this Week 5 loss to the Broncos, Brown caught five passes for 43 yards.
Before the team’s first loss of the season, Brown had only caught 14 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown, which is not the kind of numbers a star wide receiver wants on a legitimate Super Bowl title contender.
Should the Chiefs Cash in on Trent McDuffie? A Bold Take on Kansas City’s Defense
Our Mark Gunnels takes on the latest hot takes, wacky predictions and unpopular opinions about the Chiefs.
In our “Let’s Argue” series, our Mark Gunnels considers the hot takes, wacky predictions and unpopular opinions of Kansas City Chiefs fans from all over the world.
The Chiefs should trade Trent McDuffie
While this won’t be a popular take in Chiefs Kingdom, it has some merit.
You can make the case for trading the team’s All-Pro cornerback. After all, Kansas City could get a big return — and given general manager Brett Veach’s track record, it’s easy to imagine he can draft another talented defensive back.
We’re already seeing this kind of success with rookie Nohl Williams. As Mr. Brownstone noted, going into Week 4, Williams was PFF’s highest-graded NFL cornerback. The sample size is small, but it’s certainly a good indicator for where he’s headed in his career.
Still, I’d be surprised if Veach doesn’t lock up McDuffie in a long-term contract. Despite his unique ability to draft the position well — and with future Hall of Famer Chris Jones continuing to age — Kansas City needs McDuffie to be the face of the defense for the back half of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ tenure.
At worst, we’re talking about a top-5 player at cornerback — and he’s only 23 years old.
This season, Brashard Smith will be the Chiefs’ starting running back
From one seventh-round rookie to another!
There’s no secret how lackluster the Chiefs’ rushing attack has been. Mahomes still leads the team in rushing yards (130) over Isiah Pacheco (127). While that isn’t likely to last much longer, it’s still a glaring issue.
Pacheco has shown flashes, but he doesn’t look like quite the same player he was before his injury — and he continues to show a lack of vision and patience. Speaking of players not looking the same, Kareem Hunt also fits that description — although given the mileage on his legs, it’s more expected.
Neither veteran has the burst that Smith brings to the field. He could be the solution.
In very limited regular-season action, Smith hasn’t yet shown us much in the running game — but last week against the Baltimore Ravens, he flashed some juice as a receiver, collecting 27 yards on three catches. That was the most action he has seen so far. We’ll probably see him continue to get more snaps.
Maybe Veach will make a trade for a running back before the deadline. In the meantime, the team should give Smith more touches.
What will the Chiefs do with Jaylon Moore?
This one feels simple.
Assuming everyone on the starting offensive line remains healthy, we likely won’t see Moore play very much this season. However, the expectation is that Moore will be the starting right tackle after the Chiefs let Jawaan Taylor walk next year.
When Veach signed Moore to a two-year, $30 million deal, the initial thought was that he would play left tackle this season. That was, however, before Josh Simmons fell into Kansas City’s lap in the draft.
At the end of the day, that’s a good problem to have.
The Chiefs will win Super Bowl LX
I couldn’t agree more.
After the 0-2 start, people were ready to write Kansas City off. Well… that looks silly now.
And when you look at the AFC, which team can beat the Chiefs in January?
Now 1-4, the Ravens might not even make it that far. The Buffalo Bills just fell to the New England Patriots after feasting on the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. The Los Angeles Chargers have come back down to earth.
Are you really scared of Daniel Jones’ Indianapolis Colts or Aaron Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers?