The Philadelphia Eagles had one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent NFL history. After starting the 2023 season 10-1, they fell apart at the seams, winning one of their last seven games. They started off the 2024 season slow as well, going 2-2 through four weeks. However, one Nick Sirianni haircut later, the team had an entirely different outlook.
Losing just once throughout the rest of the season, Philly demolished its competition. A 40-22 victory in Super Bowl LIX was the final icing on the cake. Their success led many to believe that they could be on pace for a repeat. However, one analyst believes the only hurdle on that path is a player on the Eagles themselves.
Could AJ Brown Ruin Dream Philadelphia Eagles Scenario?
Philly went through a ton of changes in the offseason. After boasting the second-best defense on PFSN’s Defense+ metric, they lost Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
However, with rookies like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean potentially taking a bigger role in the defense, the expectation is that those losses can be stymied. But one of the most respected veteran analysts in the game, Chris Broussard, has some doubts.
The host of First Things First on FS1 believes Philadelphia has a legitimate shot of becoming the third team this century to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The one area he has a doubt in is the passing game, especially wide receiver AJ Brown.
“I do think Philly’s got a really good chance to repeat as champions. I think they’re just as hungry,” Broussard started listing his reasons. “Jalen [Hurts] is a great leader, so he’s still hungry. Even though they lost these guys, but they got the young boys to help them win that championship last year.”
“Philly’s got a really good chance to repeat as champions… The one question: does AJ Brown get antsy?"@Chris_Broussard breaks down what could derail the Eagles: pic.twitter.com/MwFrrptVQb
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 12, 2025
He then had a bold proclamation to make about that concern regarding the Eagles’ vaunted defense. “Their defense should be just as good, at least. Second year under Vic Fangio, maybe even better. And offensively, we know what they have.”
Even with all that upside, though, he still had one lingering doubt. “The one question – Does AJ Brown get antsy?” And he even had reasons to support Brown’s potential uneasiness.
“For receivers, it’s not really about stacking up rings. I mean, it doesn’t really help your legacy anymore. He’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory, he’s got a Super Bowl, he’s got his money – I wanna stack up some stats. And that means we need to throw the ball more. So, does that become an issue?”
Even during their run last season, Brown’s apparent discomfort became a major storyline for the Eagles. After inconspicuous media comments, reading a book on the sidelines, and even outright claiming that he wanted the team to utilize the passing game more, the same questions existed last season.
With a Super Bowl, quite a few of those doubts and criticisms vanished. However, clearly, some still linger. And it will be interesting to see if they ultimately lead to the downfall of the reigning champions.