The Philadelphia Eagles started their playoff run with a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers, advancing to the Divisional Round of the NFC and securing another home game. While they were never behind in the game, the offense did not impress, especially in the passing game.
Jalen Hurts finished the game with only 131 passing yards. While he had no turnovers, he also was guilty of holding on to the ball too long and inviting sacks from the Packers' defense. But the most egregious thing was the lack of involvement from superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had just three targets, one catch and 10 yards.
The Eagles' offensive play call left much to be desired, with NFL fans and analysts calling out their game plan. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin was one of those who called for a better involvement of Brown in Philadelphia's offense:
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If you think that this could lead to some problems inside the Eagles' locker room, just as it did midway through the season, the receiver wanted to make it clear that there was nothing to be worried about. Philadelphia winning the game certainly erased his concern:
A. J. Brown reads book during game, Eagles fans see it as frustration for lack of targets
At one point during the fourth quarter, another Philadelphia drive ended with no involvement from the wide receiver, an unusual scene was seen: he picked a book, started to read on the sideline and sat there reading, attracting the attention of the cameras.
NFL fans found the scene extremely curious, and it felt as if he wanted to send a message without creating a huge controversy. The whole passing game struggled, and the only receiver who had a good game was DeVonta Smith, with 55 yards on four catches.
Dallas Goedert also had four catches, but apart from the 47 yards, he also added a touchdown to his account. The start of the show was Saquon Barkley, with 25 carries, 119 rushing yards and many important conversions. He also gave up on a run that would become a touchdown for his team as he wanted to bleed the clock even further.
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