The Eagles faced their first adversity in a while this week. Not just because they had an ugly game vs the Panthers, but because of the drama that followed. AJ Brown after the game voiced his displeasure with the Eagles’ passing game.

Him doing that was one thing. The city debated the next day if he was right, and if Jalen Hurts needed to be better. But the drama really ramped up when Brandon Graham weighed in and suggested there was a relationship problem between Brown and Hurts. He corrected himself that same day, and admitted to speaking out of turn, but the damage was done.

Related: Eagles Survive Vs The Panthers To Keep Winning Streak Alive

(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

A couple of days later, both of the involved parties spoke. Hurts and Brown both said there was no problem between them and seemed sincere. Combine that with reporting that it was not as big of a deal as Graham’s original comments seemed to imply, and it seemed to be addressed.

Still, it was adversity. It was the first crack in the Eagles armor in what had otherwise been a great week. And while Brown said he and Hurts are cool, he did not back down from his comments that the passing game needed to be better, and in fact doubled down on them saying he made those comments publicly on purpose.

All of this leads up to an important game this weekend. They face their In-State Rivals the Steelers. The toughest team left on their schedule and the toughest defense they have faced all year. With Brown’s clear unhappiness with the state of the passing game, this needs to be a get-right game. Not just for the team, but in particular for the passing game.

That is not to say change the plan and stop running the ball. That clearly has worked for them, but they need to find a way to get the ball in the hands of both AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, just to kill any doubt that the passing game could one day be an issue for this team.

So who needs to step up for the Eagles to win this game? Let’s run through the players who need to have big games.

Here Are 6 Eagles Players Who Need To Shine Against The Steelers:

• AJ Brown

  You created this mess, so you better be part of cleaning it up. Brown may be right about the passing game. The last few weeks it has not been good enough, part of that is the lack of plays downfield. But if you are gonna open your mouth, you need to back it up.

  For Brown’s part, it has not been a down season for him. He just hasn’t been targeted as much, because they are throwing it less. But among WRS who have played at least 8 games, he is 3rd in Yards Per Route Run. Brown plays a large part in why the running game has been so good. Not just because he is a willing and capable blocker, but because his presence is why Barkley has yet to see stacked boxes.

  Brown is still as good as he has ever been, and we saw him getting open on Sunday, he just didn’t get the ball. Which is understandably frustrating. But it is on him, Kellen Moore, and Jalen Hurts, to fix that. Brown is too important to this team to let him be unhappy. Get him the ball early and often. Take some shots downfield to him, because those plays tend to work really well. Get him involved, and keep him happy.

  The last time he played the Steelers he came away with 3 TDS. Expecting a repeat of that is asking too much, but another big game from him should quiet all the concerns.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "AJ BROWN. THREE FIRST HALF TOUCHDOWNS.📺: #PITvsPHI on CBS📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/kHi66m0LGX pic.twitter.com/Ih3iKlG2D1 / X"

  AJ BROWN. THREE FIRST HALF TOUCHDOWNS.📺: #PITvsPHI on CBS📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/kHi66m0LGX pic.twitter.com/Ih3iKlG2D1

   

• Jalen Hurts

  Now we get to the other guy involved in this drama. Hurts was bad against the Panthers. He will tell you that, in fact he did tell you that. He made some plays when the team needed it, and helped them eventually win, but he left way too many plays on the field. But for the most part, he has been incredibly efficient. They have just gotten too far away from the chunk plays downfield in recent weeks. That is a part of their game that works. Hurts is one of the most efficient deep ball QBs in the league, and despite only throwing 3 balls more than 20 yards downfield the past 4 weeks, he is still tied for the league lead in TDs of over 20 yards.

  They need to add that back to their game. I am not saying spam the deep ball, but work it in. You have AJ Brown 1 on 1 with a CB? Let it rip. Brown and Hurts have more than proven the last 3 years that works out well for them more often than not. Do the same with Smith. They have been too safe in the passing game of late, and that is part of the problem they have had.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "Perfectly placed. Perfectly caught. pic.twitter.com/VGP5tWx2UG / X"

  Perfectly placed. Perfectly caught. pic.twitter.com/VGP5tWx2UG

• Lane Johnson and Mekhi Becton

  The Steelers defense is very good, but it is clear who drives that ship, TJ Watt. He is far and away their best player, mostly because he is far and away one of the best players in the whole league. He is so good that his 9.5 sacks this year represent a down year by his standards.

  He spends nearly all of his time on the left side of the D-Line (So the right side of the O-Line). Of his 730 defensive snaps, 714 came as either the LEO or LOLB. They do not move him around. They keep him on that side, and let him focus on getting after the QB the best he can. Usually, because the Right side is the weaker side of the line for most teams. That is not the case for the Eagles. Their right side is very strong, but their best Lineman period is their RT, Lane Johnson.

  TJ Watt once called Lane Johnson the best tackle he has ever played. Watt did manage 5 pressures rushing against Lane the last time they played, but it was a good battle all game long. It will be another one this weekend, and Mekhi Becton will likely end up having to help a bit too. Those 2 will need to be at their best this week. TJ Watt is the most chipped player in the NFL, but Lane Johnson is left on an island more than any Tackle. So it will be interesting to see what the plan for the Eagles is. Do they have Becton help, or do they leave Johnson to take Watt on 1 on 1 like they do most weeks?

  By the way, Watt is also very good against the run. So we are not just talking about him rushing the passer.

  NFL on CBS 🏈 on X (formerly Twitter): "TJ Watt blew this play allll the way up 😤 @steelers 📺 CBS & Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/ByeBixcTAw / X"

  TJ Watt blew this play allll the way up 😤 @steelers 📺 CBS & Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/ByeBixcTAw

• Saquon Barkley

  With all the talk about passing the ball, the run game can’t be lost. It is the thing they do best, and it still needs to be the driving force of this offense. Do they need to throw it a little more? Maybe? But this is s running team, and they can’t and likely won’t forget that. Barkley still has a shot at making NFL history by breaking Eric Dickerson’s record. That is not the main goal, winning a Super Bowl is. But if you can set a record on the way to winning a Ring, that is even better.

  NFL Stats on X (formerly Twitter): "Saquon Barkley's stats this season:* 13 games* 1,623 rush yards (6.1 YPC)* 267 receiving yards* 145.4 scrimmage YPG* 13 total TDsHe's currently on pace for 2,122 rushing yards, which would be an #NFL record. (Eric Dickerson: 2,105) pic.twitter.com/z8PGiXFAtI / X"

  Saquon Barkley's stats this season:* 13 games* 1,623 rush yards (6.1 YPC)* 267 receiving yards* 145.4 scrimmage YPG* 13 total TDsHe's currently on pace for 2,122 rushing yards, which would be an #NFL record. (Eric Dickerson: 2,105) pic.twitter.com/z8PGiXFAtI

• Jake Elliott

  It has been a tough season for the Eagles’ longtime kicker. He has been great for them for so long, but it is hard to trust him right now. He has missed every single attempt from over 50 yards this season. 0 for 5. To the point they had a chance last week, that would have made it a 2 score game, and instead, they took a delay of game and punted it.

  That is a problem. Every team needs a clutch kick at some point. Elliott has supplied many such kicks in his time here. But if they can’t trust him, it will cost them down the line. He needs to get his act together now, or they will be at a disadvantage in every close game they play the rest of the season, and into the post-season. The Lions have a kicker who is automatic, and any game vs them, provided both teams make it to the NFC Championship game, could easily come down to a FG. The version we see of Jake Elliott right now, I can’t say I feel good about the Eagles chances if it comes down to a 53-yard FG to win the game.

  Andrew DiCecco on X (formerly Twitter): "#Eagles K Jake Elliott spoke Wednesday.On what he can do to work through his struggles:"Just keep swinging. I know the numbers don't look great right now ... I feel pretty good about where I'm at hitting the ball."On not getting lost in his results, regardless of outcome:... / X"

  Eagles K Jake Elliott spoke Wednesday.On what he can do to work through his struggles:"Just keep swinging. I know the numbers don't look great right now ... I feel pretty good about where I'm at hitting the ball."On not getting lost in his results, regardless of outcome:...

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