A.J. Brown wants the Eagles to ‘let your killers do their thing’ after second-half air explosion vs. the Rams

A.J. Brown wore a sweater with the mental health message — “check on your teammates” — emblazoned across the front. But it may be more his football messaging that is remembered following the Eagles’ pass game eruption in the second half of an unfathomable comeback win.

His phrase — “Let your killers do their thing” — pretty much summed up how Brown and fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith took over once the Eagles were forced to the air after a pitiful first 31 minutes that had spotted the Los Angeles Rams a 26-7 lead.

Brown and Smith caught 12 of 16 targets for 169 yards and two touchdowns over the final 29 minutes. Brown’s first score of the season narrowed the Rams’ lead to 26-21, while Smith’s gave the Eagles the lead, 27-26, with under two minutes left in the game.

It almost wasn’t enough. But Jordan Davis blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt and scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 61 yards the other way to seal the victory, setting off a berserk celebration at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

“We deserved to lose,” Brown said.

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The receiver had avoided advertising his displeasure with the Eagles passing offense despite wins in the first two weeks. But Brown, perhaps emboldened by his six-catch, 109-yard performance, finally addressed the missing elephants in the offensive planning room.

“I truly believe we got so many good players on this team, and at times you can feel like we’re being conservative and I don’t think it should be like that,” he said. “I think it should [be] let your killers do their thing, and play fast and play aggressive. I’m not saying that we haven’t been, but for me, personally, that’s what I would like.

“Obviously, we’re going to run the ball and we’re gonna set up the run off the pass and the pass off the run. But we have a lot of good players, and I feel like you should just let us go.”

Nick Sirianni didn’t have a direct response when asked initially about Brown’s comments. But the Eagles coach circled back when asked how poor field position — mostly because his returners struggled to handle Joshua Karty’s knuckleball kickoffs — affected play calling.

“We weren’t able to run the ball,” Sirianni said. “We wanted to be able to run the ball today and that’s going to happen sometimes and we’re going to need our pass game to do what they did today, and other times it’s going to be the opposite way. Like I said, there are circumstances that happen.

“Again, I hear what A.J. said with the conservative part of that, but there are some circumstances that happened in the first half where our field position wasn’t great.”

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True, but the Eagles’ desire to establish Saquon Barkley ran into a wall of blue and gold. It made some sense since he rushed for 460 yards in two meetings with the Rams last season. But the Eagles are living in a new world and it should have been evident during the offseason, but certainly after the Cowboys and Chiefs ganged up on Barkley in Weeks 1 and 2.

Defenses just aren’t going to let the Eagles dictate terms on the ground. They’re going to make quarterback Jalen Hurts and his arm beat them, and it appeared to take all of 10 quarters for Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to figure that out.

“We’ve played so many styles of football, where in that first half, we’ve got to get out of this, playing not to lose,” Hurts said to Fox’s Pam Oliver on the field after the stunning finish. “We’ve got to come out aggressive and play our game. You saw our game in the second half.”

Sirianni’s conservatism was enough in the first two weeks. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, but neither is most of football. Sirianni’s offense can employ a tough brand behind a dominant offensive line. He believes that winning the turnover battle and having a first-and-9 advantage because of the Tush Push can often be enough.

» READ MORE: Marcus Hayes: Eagles' Nick Sirianni outcoaches Rams' Sean McVay again

But the philosophy has backfired at times. And after one of the Eagles’ worst first offensive halves since Doug Pederson’s and Chip Kelly’s fateful final seasons — plus a horrid first possession of the third quarter that resulted in Hurts getting strip sacked — something needed to change.

The broadcast caught the normally stoic Hurts yelling near Patullo and running backs coach Jemal Singleton. It’s unclear what was said or what his actual tenor was, but the quarterback said the moment “meant getting out of character.”

Hurts had completed just 5 of 9 passes for 29 yards up to that point. He was sacked three times and the Eagles’ net passing was in the negative. Brown had no catches and was targeted just once. That meant the All-Pro receiver had just six catches on 10 targets for 35 yards through 10-plus quarters.

It was time, whether Hurts delivered Brown’s message to his coaches or not, to let “a killer” do his thing. And on first down of the Eagles’ ensuing drive, the ball went to the receiver for an 8-yard out. Many fans at the Linc sarcastically cheered, although Brown heard it differently.

» READ MORE: The Eagles needed a slap in the face. Fred Johnson, of all people, was ready to do it.

“When I got the first catch in the second half, my momentum and my energy came from the crowd,” Brown said. “I heard the ‘A-O’ [chant] and, man, it just lit a fire under me.”

Several plays later, Hurts hit Brown over the left shoulder for 38 yards, and followed up with a seam route connection to tight end Dallas Goedert for a 33-yard touchdown. And the Eagles were back in business.

Smith said going up tempo helped the offense get into gear. The Eagles utilized no huddle on 53.7% of their plays in the second half after using it for just one play before the break, according to Next Gen Stats.

“I feel like we’re in great shape,” Smith said. “We get the defense tired a lot, and we can just keep pushing through.”

Tempo also forced the Rams to stay more in their base coverages, and thus they were predictable. It also kept them in man coverage at times, which played to the strengths of Brown and Smith. Both their touchdowns came vs. man, as did two third-and-10 conversions that Brown picked up with yards after the catch.

“That’s a moment where I light up, you know?” Brown said. “It’s one-on-one. It’s mano a mano and I got to win my route.”

» READ MORE: The good, bad, and ugly from the Eagles-Rams broadcast

It was Brown unlocked. It was, in some respects, Sirianni-Patullo trusting more in Hurts, who completed 16 of 23 for 206 yards and three touchdowns after his fumble. The Eagles’ final 17-play, 91-yard drive had everything, including four third-down conversions and Smith’s 4-yard touchdown catch to the pylon on fourth down.

Can the Eagles sustain their second half passing success? The ultimate test may come Sunday against the 3-0 Bucs and nemesis Todd Bowles, who has mostly confounded Hurts.

The Eagles’ pass offense drama has been a three-year saga to some extent. Sirianni failed to adjust after 2022’s air raid on NFL defenses, and an inexperienced play caller in Brian Johnson compounded the inefficiency in 2023.

The Eagles rode Barkley on the ground for most of 2024, but Hurts and Co. stepped up in the biggest moments. This season’s early struggles in both facets had Patullo in the crosshairs because he was the lone new piece.

“If you’re going to blame anyone, blame all of us,” Brown said. “It’s not just him. It’s just he’s the new name and he’s gonna get all the blame. But it’s all of us.”

But Brown made his intentions clear after the game. Smith said as much in his own way.

“We always talk about in situations like this,” he said of the Eagles receivers, “put the game on us in our room.”

Brown and Sirianni had a brief moment — a quick chat and hug — during open locker room that both kept private. The coach lauded his receiver for how he responded to media prodding about his lack of involvement through the first two weeks.

“I watched A.J. Brown handle all your questions as a great teammate and with grace,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, he wants the football. Obviously, he needs to get the football.”

» READ MORE: Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter found the Rams’ ‘fish’ on both blocked field goals: ‘We just hit the gap’

This was before Sirianni was told about Brown’s public desire for the offense to be less conservative. The receiver was asked if he’d make the same plea directly to his coaches.

“Nah,” Brown said with a laugh, “but it’s out now.”

He may have saved himself with his final comment.

“Let us go hoop. Let us have fun,” Brown said. “But obviously, what do I know? I’m a receiver. He’s the coach. He has a lot more to deal with. I never called an NFL game.”

Maybe he should.