Heading into their Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles were undefeated despite their offense being ranked near the bottom of the league.
And up until Sunday, Philadelphia’s offensive struggles hadn’t necessarily been an issue. But that wasn’t the case in the team’s 21-17 loss to the Broncos as Lincoln Financial Field.
It was the Eagles first loss since their Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders in December of last year.
Philadelphia’s offensive shortcomings have been front-and-center this season under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, thanks to wide receiver A.J. Brown.
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The All-Pro wideout has been outspoken about being unhappy with his role in the offense and how ineffective he’s been this season — Brown has just one game this year with more than 45 yards receiving and he’s scored just one touchdown.
While Brown’s unhappiness and the lack of a credible passing threat was masked by the Eagles’ winning, Sunday’s loss made fans pay attention to the fact that something just seems off.
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And according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, it could be the fact that a rift has seemingly developed between Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“Brown and Hurts have a long history,” Russini wrote. “High school and college friends turned NFL teammates, Hurts is the godfather to Brown’s daughter, Jersee. A former teammate once described them as ‘an old married couple,’ but I’m told they’re not that close these days.
“Like any friendship, life happens. Family responsibilities, the grind of being pros, shifting priorities. They’re friendly, but as one Eagles player described it: ‘It’s functional, professional.’”
The lack of chemistry between Hurts and Brown has manifested in the third-fewest passing yards (809) and the 10th-fewest passing touchdowns (seven).
Hurts himself is 28th in passing yards, 18th in touchdowns, and 10th in passer rating, while Brown is tied for 64th in receptions (14), 30th in targets (28), and he’s tied for 69th in yards (151).
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