A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Provide Unlikely Source of Failure

Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles who look at the box score might notice a misleading stat. A.J. Brown caught nine passes for 94 yards, and DeVonta Smith caught five for 73 yards. A blowout loss against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football won't provide too many signs of encouragement. Were the wide receivers a bright spot?

The hollow stats meant absolutely nothing. The pair of star wide receivers had as much to do with the loss as anyone. The tandem hit the low-point of their two seasons together in Philadelphia.

The Eagles defense looked terrible against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. They traveled to Dallas to face a red-hot Dak Prescott in another tough matchup. Predicting that the Cowboys would put up some points wasn't difficult.

Philadelphia's best chance to win was to control the game with their offense. Game-breaking NFL talent like Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith can lead a team past any competition in a league controlled by top-tier offensive units.

Instead, all three players lost fumbles at the critical points in the game when the Philadelphia offense could’ve made up for the shortcomings of a struggling defense.

Hurts didn’t have his best game, but his wide receivers failed to show up in the biggest moments. When the Eagles trailed 10-0, they executed a fake punt to Olamide Zaccheaus.

Hurts then threw a deep ball to his top receiver inside the Dallas 10. Brown couldn’t haul it in. The ball hit his hands, and a player with a $100 million contract should make that catch. 

When the Eagles took the ball to start the second half, their first drive was their shot to get back in a game to salvage any chance for an 18-point comeback. A.J. Brown put the ball on the AT&T Stadium ground instead.

One drive after Fletcher Cox and Jalen Carter teamed up for a defensive touchdown, the offense got another chance to take control of the momentum. When Smith had a chance to make a spectacular catch, he let a ball slide off his fingertips. It was a difficult catch, but a former 10th-overall pick and top-tier wide receiver needs to make that play as one of the best players on an offense that needed to control the game.

Without a highlight-reel play from a game-breaker, the Eagles were never going to defeat the Cowboys.

The Eagles then faced a third-and-11 in Dallas territory on the same offensive possession.

Hurts passed to A.J. Brown for only three yards on third down. Nick Sirianni kept his offense on the field. DeVonta Smith caught a fourth-down pass for one yard. The failure doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of the wide receivers. Hurts deserves plenty of blame. However, the best offensive playmakers ultimately failed to take control of the game.

A.J. Brown spoke confidently about a rebound effort after the embarrassment against the 49ers. He also called out veteran corner Stephon Gilmore early in Sunday's game. He didn’t back it up.

His teammate on the opposite side of the field has established a reputation as a reliable option in key moments. Smith didn’t live up to that moniker on Sunday. Instead, he followed the lead of Hurts and Brown with a lost fumble late in the game.

Brown set an NFL record earlier in the season with 125+ receiving yards in six consecutive games. Once his statistics cooled off, he drew the attention of the defense that allowed Smith to flourish statistically.

If the Eagles still want to contend for a Super Bowl, they need their best players to lead the way. Brown and Smith are two of the best players on one of the most talented teams in the NFL. They need to make game-breaking plays instead of dropping game-altering fumbles.

A dark cloud hangs low over the city of Philadelphia today. Sports fans are walking with their heads hung low, bags under their eyes from staying up too late thinking about the loss. We're tired, and more importantly, we're disappointed. The Philadelphia Eagles lost their game.

So many things contributed to this devastating loss. It hurts to see such a good team get beaten. It hurts to watch another team celebrate in your stadium. At the moment, it seems nothing will make it better.

Here we are, just hours after the Eagles failed to get the win. Right now, we may all be feeling icky. But, you have to remember, it was just a game! You also have to remember that it could be worse (as a fanbase, we have experienced two crushing Super Bowl losses in recent history. Ouch). We've been through worse. It's disappointing, sure, but we've seen losses. We know what it's like. Remember, adversity makes good teams even better.

I'm not here to make promises for the future, nor am I here to explain away all that went wrong. I am here today, instead, to maybe help you out.

Exercise is always a good way to get any icky and unwanted emotions out. If the weather is okay, take the time to go out for a walk. Fresh air will always do you a world of good.

Try not to talk about the loss, of course. Or do, it may be cathartic to get it out. Being in the company of others helps you work out your emotions about the disappointing loss.

The 76ers season is going on. The Flyers have hit the ice. Express your fandom for another team! It's not the same, I know. And you may fear yet another disappointment. But it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Sixers and Flyers play multiple games a week. Life goes on.

I personally shut the TV off as soon as the final second ticks off the clock. You don't want to see another team celebrate your team's loss, so don't. Avoid social media. There are far too many trolls who love to argue. Avoid national sports analysis TV shows. They're never on our side, anyway. Don't go looking for Eagles content on social media. Don't wallow in the bad vibes.

Make today your cheat day. Who cares? Food is yummy. Food makes things better. Fill that Eagles-loss-sized hole in your heart with a cheeseburger or some pasta. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself to something that makes you happy. Go ahead. Get the milkshake after dinner.

It's hard, right? But this is how we've felt before and will feel again. Losses happen! There will always be good times to balance out the bad. They have always happened and there are always more to come. They are a good team. We can't help but love them. They have amazing personalities and are dang good at what they do. Don't forget Super Bowl LII.