USA Today
A.J. Brown Knows What It's Like to be 4-0
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PHILADELPHIA – The target is only going to get bigger the longer the Eagles remain the last undefeated team in the NFL.
The Eagles haven’t been 4-0 since 2004, so there aren’t many players inside the locker room who know what it’s like to be sitting unbeaten in October.
A.J. Brown is one. His former team, the Tennessee Titans started 4-0 in 2020, Brown’s second year in Nashville.
The wide receiver, who is one of four pass-catchers in the league with more than 400 yards receiving after four weeks, didn’t want to talk about his time in Tennessee, though.
Nor did he want to talk about the potential for a 17-0 season. Yes, he was asked.
“Y’all looking at the schedule, but it’s a week-to-week league,” said Brown on Thursday. “We’re not thinking about no 17-0. We’re thinking about 1-0 this week. No matter who we play on our schedule, we’re going to get their best because like I said, if we go out there one time and we don’t execute, then all hell breaks loose.
“Then everyone’s talking about how bad we are, so we’re focusing on one game at a time so we have to stay like that.”
The Titans got to 5-0 after winning in overtime over the Texan, 42-36, in Week 5 of the 2020 season. They suffered their first loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-24, in Week 6, but still ended the season 11-5 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Ravens.
So he knows what it's like to be 4-0 and, despite some thinking it is a surprise, he doesn't.
"I don’t think it’s weird," he said. "We’ve just been playing good ball early on. It’s a long year. It’s a part of it, a part of the pressure. They talk about us being 4-0, and it just comes with it. We’ll get everybody’s best shot.”
Yes, the Cardinals will take their best swing when the Eagles play at State Farm Stadium on Sunday (4:25 p.m./FOX).
The Eagles are 0-4 at State Farm Stadium since it opened in 2006, with losses in the NFC Championship Game in 2008 and regular-season defeats in 2012, 2014, and 2020.
Also, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is 6-0 against NFC East teams.
Brown had something to say about that, too.
“Nobody cares, that’s in the past,” he said.
“They’re really good defense,” he said. “I like the back end. They got a solid guy who runs the show back there, Budda Baker. He sets the tone for the entire defense. Hats off to him. They’re really solid in the back end. They do a lot of things. They disguise. We got our hands full.”
As for Brown, he has 404 yards receiving to put him third among receivers with the most yards. Just ahead of him is Buffalo's Stefon Diggs with 406, but just behind him is L.A.'s Cooper Kupp at 402.
Miami's Tyreek Hill is far ahead in first with 477 yards.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
