Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown did not practice Saturday after leaving Friday’s session with a hamstring injury, leading the Eagles to list him as questionable for their Monday Night Football matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The star wideout began feeling tightness in his hamstring during Friday's practice, and his absence Saturday was primarily the result of an abundance of caution. However, legitimate questions surrounded Brown's status, and he ended up getting ruled out for their Week 2 action on Sunday.
With Brown out and Jonny Wilson being listed as questionable, the Eagles could end up having just three healthy wide receivers for this game in DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, and Britain Covey. With Brown out now, though, chances are they will temporarily elevate at least one practice squad wide receiver, with Parris Campbell appearing to be the leading candidate.
Brown did not play in the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season because of a knee injury, but he had played in every regular season game since he joined the Eagles in 2022. Brown caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers.
Jalen Hurts missing his top receiver on Monday night is not ideal, but the Eagles should still have enough offensive firepower to beat this Falcons team that only managed to put up 10 points at home in Week 1. However, you'd always rather have your best players on the field as much as possible, and there's no doubt losing Brown for this game will hurt Philly
What to watch for when the Eagles host the Falcons
The Eagles are the better team, have extra rest, and will play in front of a raucous home crowd. The Falcons are starting Kirk Cousins, a statue, at quarterback. He’s even more immobile coming off a torn Achilles. That led to extreme predictability in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cousins was the only quarterback who didn’t attempt a pass 20 yards or more down the field. The rest will be easy if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit could bottle up Bijan Robinson.
Bottling up Robinson will be critical in this matchup for Philadelphia. Last week, the Eagles allowed 21 total carries for 163 yards (7.8 average) and one touchdown to the Packers. Josh Jacobs had 16 carries for 84 yards (5.3 average), while third-string option Emanuel Wilson ripped off 46 yards on just four attempts (11.5 average).
Robinson will be a difference-maker for the Falcons, especially if Cousins still looks like he's struggling with his Achilles injury. Regardless, it won’t be enough to match Philadelphia’s high-powered unit. The Eagles should feel good about starting the season 2-0, even with Brown not suiting up for this one.
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