If the Philadelphia Eagles are going to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Monday night, they are going to have to do it without A.J. Brown.
According to multiple reports, the Eagles’ top wide receiver will not play against the Buccaneers due to a knee injury (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
Brown suffered the injury during his team’s Week 18 loss to the New York Giants. He was held out of practice this week.
This will mark the first game Brown has missed as member of the Eagles, as he had played in every game with the club since being traded to Philadelphia in April 2022.
Brown hauled in 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns this season en route to his third Pro Bowl selection.
The 26-year-old had a huge game against Tampa Bay back in Week 3, logging nine catches for 131 yards in Philly’s 25-11 win.
Brown, who played his collegiate football at the University of Mississippi, was originally selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He enjoyed a terrific rookie campaign, catching 52 passes for 1,051 yards and eight scores. The following year, Brown made his first Pro Bowl after snaring 70 balls for 1,075 yards while reaching the end zone 11 times. He then took a bit of a step back in 2021, registering 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
That ensuing offseason, the Titans dealt Brown to the Eagles. He had a breakout campaign in his debut season in Philadelphia, finishing with 88 grabs for 1,496 yards and 11 scores.
Philly lost five of its last six regular-season games to finish 11-6. It also fell out of first place in the NFC East, losing the division title to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles are hoping to have A.J. Brown back for the Divisional Round, but they’ll have to get past the Bucs first. Without Brown, that becomes a much more arduous task.
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