A.J. Brown's monstrous day powers Philadelphia Eagles to win vs. Washington Commanders
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A.J. Brown's first two weeks of the season were forgetful.
The Eagles won those games, but Brown's stat sheet didn't pop like it did much over the 2022 season, his first year in Philly.
That's been a different story over the past two weeks, especially on Sunday.
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Brown hauled in nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 34-31 overtime win over the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field to improve to 4-0 for the second straight year.
The Week 4 performance by Brown followed his nine-catch, 131-yard game on Monday Night Football vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 25-11 win last week.
Despite the big day, Brown said the Eagles are still a work in progress on offense.
"I think we're still putting it together," Brown said. "Nobody wants to be playing their best football right now, you know? But we're still striving to fix the little things and head in the right direction."
In the first half, it wasn't pretty for the Birds. The Eagles trailed, 17-10, and had to battle back from behind.
Brown entered halftime with four catches for 43 yards, but he exploded in the second half and connected with quarterback Jalen Hurts on two massive plays.
Midway through the third quarter, Brown hauled in a 59-yard pass where he cut back and dashed past the defense to find the end zone. Then, late in the fourth quarter, Brown's 28-yard touchdown reception gave the Eagles the lead.
CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr reported Brown and safety Reed Blankenship were "randomly" drug tested after the game.
But, as Brown admitted postgame, he made a mistake and got flagged for taunting after his second score. The penalty helped the Commanders march down the field to tie the game and force overtime.
Brown said after the play, Hurts held him accountable on the sideline.
"I got to be better, you know? I'm a vet, I can't do stuff like that, put the ball in front of them. It was unnecessary, kind of cost us some yardage on the kickoff, so I have to do better than that," Brown said.
Even though the Birds are still a work in progress, Week 4 was the best the passing game looked all season after the slow start in the first half.
The Eagles made big plays downfield and Brown said he saw Hurts, who is usually level-headed, play with some edge on Sunday.
"He kind of woke up a little bit and it gave everybody a boost, you know? Because most of the time Jalen, no matter if the game's on the line he's throws a great ball he's going to be mellow. But that fire showed today and that desire and I'm proud of him," Brown said. "I think he handled the game really well. He went through his read and took what they were giving him. We're heading in that direction and he's leading us."
