Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown Feasting vs. Man Coverage
Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown finds himself firmly in the mix of the Offensive Player of the Year discussion, and his work against man coverage is a large reason for the staggering success he's had through the first eight games of the season.
According to ESPN's Next Gen Stats, Brown leads all pass catchers with 432 receiving yards against man coverage this season. And he leads all receivers by a lot in this category, as the next closest receiver against man coverage is D.J. Moore of the Chicago Bears with 274 yards. Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys each have 269 yards against man coverage as well, but no one comes close to what Brown has done.
Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown is having a special season in 2023.
USA Today
Speaking of the Cowboys, the Eagles will square off with their NFC East rivals for the first of two times Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Something will have to give in the matchup, as coordinator Dan Quinn's defense has run man coverage on 47.1 percent of their plays in 2023, with ESPN noting that's the second-highest total in the league. That leads you to believe Brown is in line for a monster game in Week 9.
Then again, it hasn't seemed to matter who Brown is playing over the last six weeks, as he's in the midst of one of the greatest stretches the sport has ever seen. In a 38-31 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 8, Brown became the first receiver in NFL history to post six consecutive games with 125 or more receiving yards, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson. He'll simply be looking to increase his record in Week 9 against Dallas.
Thursday, Brown learned that he was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month, after he racked up a staggering 700 yards across four games in October. He's currently on track to break Johnson's single-season receiving record, so the honors for Brown's dominance are likely to become a frequent occurrence in the coming months. A First-Team All-Pro selection increasingly feels inevitable, and perhaps that will just be the tip of the iceberg.
