PHILADELPHIA – A.J. Brown wasn’t going to be denied against his old team Sunday.
One play after having a 40-yard touchdown catch called back down the right side against the Tennessee Titans, the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver sprung free along the left side and trotted in for the score to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
It was his first of two touchdowns on the day.
Brown was traded from the Titans to the Eagles on the first night of the draft this past April for the Nos. 18 and 101 overall picks after he and Tennessee were unable to come to terms on a contract extension. Brown acknowledged this week that the game “means a lot” but said he needed to “be professional about it and keep my emotions down and just play.”
Those emotions were tested early in the second quarter. It looked like he had scored after beating cornerback Kristian Fulton on a double move on 1st-and-15, but the touchdown was overturned and the pass from Jalen Hurts ruled incomplete, as it was determined Brown’s second foot was out of bounds.
On the next play, Brown collided with Fulton while executing another double move. Fulton fell to the ground and was flagged for illegal contact, while Brown ran alone, making one of the easiest catches of his career before floating into the end zone.
1st one incomplete…No problem. #ProBowlVote @1kalwaysopen_ #TENvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3xk1oK8JXF
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 4, 2022
Brown had 15.6 yards of separation at the time the pass arrived on the play, according to NFL NextGen Stats. It’s the most yards of separation on a touchdown by an Eagle since NFL NextGen started tracking separation yards in 2016.
Brown, who secured a four-year, $100 million extension from Philadelphia the moment he was traded, took the big-picture approach this week when talking about facing his old team.
“I feel like regardless of how the trade and everything goes down, I feel like me personally, I feel like I’ve won,” Brown said. “I say that because I changed my family’s life forever. That’s the goal. Especially growing up from where I’m from. Of course I want to do great and accomplish all the great things, but that’s the reason why we play the game.”
Brown’s second score came in the third quarter — a 29-yard pass from Hurts. His two touchdown receptions came with over 25 or more air yards, his second such multi-touchdown game this season.