PHILADELPHIA — The locker room music sounded louder than at any point in the last two years. The chaos seemed more chaotic, the collective emotional release all the more splendidly spontaneous.
Or did another Eagles NFC Championship Game victory just seem to feel that way?
“No, this is very different,” receiver A.J. Brown said amid a Sunday night party after the Eagles’ 55-23 smackdown of the Washington Commanders.
And yet, amid the exploding joy around him over a second Super Bowl spot in three years, which will be a Super rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, accomplished NFL veteran Brown seemed to be quietly taking it all in stride.
As it turns out, that is by design.
“My emotions are intact,” Brown said. “Of course I’m excited for guys who haven’t been through it before. But I just want to win. Maybe I’ll let my emotions go when we do that.”
For Brown, the only win is the successful completion of a “mission,” a Super Bowl victory as opposed to the painful 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 two years ago.
“I’m not saying I’m used to it,” Brown said, “but when you’ve been there before, you know what it’s like. You know what’s at stake and you know how to handle it. That’s the only thing I’m focused on, doing things differently, trying to do everything in my power to keep us winning.”
Brown has been considered a premier wide receiver for a long time, a three-time Pro Bowler who after being traded to the Eagles at the 2022 NFL Draft, signed a four-year, $100 million contract. He’s loomed large for quarterback Jalen Hurts in the Eagles’ offense, though like everyone else fell in line production wise as newly signed running back Saquon Barkley had an astounding first season with the club.
But in the postseason, Brown’s been extra quiet. He managed only one catch for 10 yards in a 22-10 wild card victory over the Green Bay Packers. Then in the divisional round, Brown was targeted seven times, but had only two receptions for 14 yards in a 28-22 win over the L.A. Rams.
Brown finally broke out Sunday in this conference championship, catching six balls for 96 yards and a touchdown.
All along, there have been no self-recriminations or outward complaints about his lack of production. Instead, Brown says he’s remained focused on “The Mission.” … That would be, to not only get back to the Super Bowl, but win it this time.
“At this point, the objective is to win,” Brown said. “I know I haven’t had the best playoff numbers, stats-wise, but we’ve been right on the ball. We’ve been doing it all year.
“The Mission, we’re still trying to finish it. It’s not all over.”
While talking about maintaining his focus on the ultimate prize, Brown looked up at the cacophony of celebration breaking out across the room Sunday. At this moment, he wasn’t taking part in it. He doesn’t plan to do so any time over the next two weeks leading up to that Super Sunday, either.
Brown says his plan is about, ‘Removing the feelings, removing the excitement, removing all those things, because it doesn’t do anything for you.
“Last time, I honestly felt like a paid actor during the whole week,” he said of the Super Bowl hype. “Just everything; some of the interviews … the only time it started to feel like real football was the game. So you can remove all those things and just try to focus on the game, and that’s the only thing that matters. Just trying to win. Everything else is for everybody else.”
In that Super Bowl after his first Eagles season, Brown fared quite well. His numbers were identical to this conference title game win over the Commanders. Brown had six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown that day nearly two years ago.
But he points out it’s not the time of year to focus on numbers, nor is it the time for him to spend too much time talking about it.
“It’s just something you have to do,” he said about the distractions leading up to the Feb. 9 game in New Orleans. “It’s not important. It’s important for everybody else to have to see you, and listen to what you have to say, but none of that matters. You just try to come out victorious.”
• • •
Eagles center Cam Jurgens had what he acknowledged as “a long week … and a long season.”
Jurgens was referring at least partially to the apparent back injury which kept him out until a Friday practice, and kept his status uncertain until game time.
“We had to get through,” Jurgens said after joining with is offensive linemates for another excellent game, playing a part in Saquon Barkley’s 118 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. “I feel a lot of joy right now.”
He probably also felt a bit of pain, though Jurgens tried yard to shrug it off. As for his status going forward, Jurgens left no doubt, saying “I’ll be ready to go. … I’ll be great.
“I’m just so thankful to be here in this city, to have been drafted by this team, I couldn’t be in a better spot,” Jurgens said. “I couldn’t have been brought into a better situation, learning from this O-line. … This team has so much fight, so much grit. Nobody blinks. They just go out there and fight.”
• • •
The Eagles were leading 34-23 early in the fourth quarter and were knocking on the door again at the Washington 1 when linebacker Frankie Luvu thought he would do everything in his power to keep the Eagles from scoring again. So with the Eagles lined up in a tush-push formation, Luvu tried to get the jump on Jalen Hurts, but he was called for encroachment … twice in a row.
The officials ruled that one more jump by Luvu would take him out of the game. So as the Eagles lined up again, now within inches of the goal line, encroachment was called again, this time Jonathan Allen committing the infraction. He had already been offsides at the start of this mess, right before Luvu jumped twice.
Ref Shawn Hochuli had seen enough, announcing loudly that one more time and the officials would literally gift the Eagles with the six points. Hurts then made it all academic by pushing into the end zone on the next snap.
“Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score,” Hochuli said. “(Luvu) jumped the ball a couple of times. That was when the the warning came in. Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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