AJ Brown rewrites Eagles' record books on first play of game vs Giants

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A.J. Brown needed just nine yards to break the Philadelphia Eagles’ single-season receiving yards record, and quarterback Jalen Hurts wasted no time to get his favorite target the ball on Sunday. 

Facing the New York Giants in the final regular-season game and aiming to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Eagles had their starters out on offense, including Brown on their first drive of the game.

When Hurts dropped back to pass on the first play, he looked left and found Brown on a slant that he didn’t just take the nine yards. Instead, he went 35 yards, charging past the Giants’ defenders to rewrite the record books. 

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A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs past Cor'Dale Flott #28 of the New York Giants during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Eagles receiver Mike Quick owned the record since 1983 with his 1,409 yards. But the first-year Eagle in Brown has been making catch after catch in this tremendous Eagles season, and thanks to Hurts, he was able to rack up the yards and surpass Quick. 

Quick, who serves as the Eagles’ radio analyst, shared a moment with Brown prior to the game, recognizing that his record was very likely to pass hands to the former Tennessee Titan.

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However, it is worth noting that Quick snatched the record in a 16-game season while Brown needed 17 games to get the job done.

The closest anyone has ever come to Quick’s record was DeSean Jackson in 2013 when he had 1,332 yards. Jeremy Maclin also had 1,318 yards in 2014.

A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a pass during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

This past April, Eagles GM Howie Roseman made a blockbuster trade, landing Brown in exchange for the Nos. 18 and 101 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. And the Eagles inked Brown to a $100 million contract over the next four seasons, cementing him as Hurts’ No. 1 target, among other lethal offensive weapons, in hopes of winning a Super Bowl.

Roseman’s plan, along with head coach Nick Sirianni and his staff’s deployment of the offense, has made that investment a gold mine thus far.

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One of the main reasons the Eagles’ offense is one of the scariest in the league for opponents is Brown’s ability to take the top off with his speed and catchability on deep balls. He’s dazzled all season with contested catches left and right as Hurts trusted him to go up and get it. 

Brown has also found the end zone 11 times entering Sunday, matching his career-high in 2020 with the Titans.

A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after a first-down catch during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Brown and the Eagles have Super Bowl goals in mind in the weeks to come, but in the meantime, he will look to pad his new record even more in this game.