Jalen Hurts Takes Blame as Questions Linger Around AJ Brown, Eagles

Amid rumored drama involving their players and criticism about the coaching staff, the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a disappointing and, for some, embarrassing home loss in their wild-card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Several on and off-field incidents drew attention, including a heated moment between Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and wide receiver A.J. Brown, as well as Brown’s postgame actions. The star receiver refused to speak with the media after the game, which could result in a fine.

One of the other major contentions arose over the Eagles’ coaching staff, with many individuals pointing a finger at offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after Sunday’s effort. The Eagles were ahead 13-10 at halftime, but were unable to score more than two field goals in the second half, ultimately losing the game 23-19.

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Quarterback Jalen Hurts participated in his team’s postgame press conference and was asked about his coaching staff as well as his situation with Brown over the course of the season.

Hurts attempted seven passes to Brown, with the wide receiver catching three of them for 25 yards. Meanwhile, DeVonta Smith came up with eight receptions and 70 yards, while Dallas Goedert scored one receiving touchdown and one rushing TD.

A critical miscue arrived in the second half with Hurts throwing a perfect-looking pass to Brown with very little coverage, but Brown was unable to secure a reception.

At his press conference, Hurts kept it simple, responding, “We just didn’t make the plays” when asked about the missed passes between him and Brown.

While a reporter tried to ask a follow-up about Hurts and Brown’s situation during the season, he wouldn’t take the bait to make a statement about any drama that might exist between him and Brown or other Eagles players.

“I think competitively everyone on our team had a great desire to win, to achieve the ultimate goal, and especially here right now, having everything in front of us, it was about winning, and that’s something that we didn’t collectively do, and that starts with me,” Hurts said.

A question also arrived asking Hurts about his first season working with the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo.

“I think I’m always growing. I’m always taking in my experiences and learning from everything that we go through. I think it’s tough to single out one individual, especially in a moment like this. We all gotta improve, and that’s how I look at everything that we go through,” Hurts told reporters.

Following the game, there were plenty of people criticizing Patullo and how the Eagles were outcoached by Kyle Shanahan and his staff in the Wild Card game.

Patullo has been on the Eagles’ staff since 2021, first as a pass game coordinator and then as an associate head coach. This past season was his first as the OC. Some fans are calling for his firing, although that remains to be seen.

Along with that, questions linger about Brown’s situation with the Eagles and whether the team may decide to move on from the star receiver amid rumored drama and behind-the-scenes issues.

There will be plenty of questions as they enter the offseason, following Philadelphia’s failure to achieve its goal of back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

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