PHILADELPHIA (94WIP) — The Philadelphia Eagles paid a premium this offseason for receiver A.J. Brown, trading a first-round pick and giving him a contract that could be worth up to $100 million.
On Sunday, Brown made the trade continue to look like a steal — and his quarterback continued to earn himself some money as well.
Brown and Jalen Hurts were dominant early and often in the Eagles' 35-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field.
They combined for three first-half touchdowns that gave their team a lead they would hold onto, to bump their season record to 7-0.
Hurts finished the game with 285 passing yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Brown caught six passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
With the two playing as well as they did on Sunday, it isn’t a stretch to say they are the best quarterback-wide receiver duo this franchise has had since Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens. That duo took the Eagles to the Super Bowl in their first season.
If Hurts and Brown keep playing like this, there is a good chance they will be doing the same.
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The big day for Brown and Hurts was just the latest in what has been an outstanding season for the team’s new quarterback and wide receiver duo.
It wasn’t that the Steelers’ defense wasn’t good on Sunday. They got to Hurts fairly frequently and the windows to throw were not big. The coverage on Brown was tight.
The difference? Brown and Hurts have a special talent that the Eagles haven’t had at either position in a long time — and the Steelers' defenders couldn’t stop them.
Brown’s first touchdown of the day was a prime example of why paying big money for a No. 1 receiver is now a requirement in the NFL.
The pass by Hurts was solid, but it was into double coverage and required a special play by Brown. Brown did just that, tracking it perfectly in the air, adjusting to it, and then going up and coming down with it for a 39-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Brown’s second of the day was a great throw by Hurts, but also a great job by Brown in creating just enough separation and tracking the ball perfectly from over his shoulder for a 27-yard score, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
Brown’s third score of the day was almost a perfect copy of his second — same route, same perfect throw, and same excellent job by Brown coming down with the ball in a tight spot.
The fact that Brown and Hurts could do it again, in almost the same exact way, is a sign of how unstoppable they can be when they play at the level they did on Sunday.
On a day where it was obvious the Eagles were wise to pay for premium talent at receiver, it was also hard to ignore that they could soon (perhaps happily) be paying premium money to the quarterback position as well.
As good as Brown was — and he was special — Hurts once again continued to look like a quarterback that is going to have a lot of negotiating power this offseason.
Hurts wasn’t especially sharp for his first few passes, but that quickly changed after his first touchdown to Brown. His second-and-third touchdown passes to Brown were the kind of elite throws that teams pay premium money for.
Hurts has always been valuable as a team leader and as a quarterback that can turn nothing into something with his legs. When he throws the ball like he did on Sunday, and like he has most of this season, he has the kind of top-five potential that teams pay hundreds of millions for.
The money that Brown makes now, and the money Hurts will get this offseason, is also a reminder how important this season is.
The Eagles have Hurts and Brown for a combined cap hit of just $7.2 million this season. That number is going to skyrocket next season and could end up being three times as big.
The best time to win a Super Bowl is when your quarterback is on his rookie deal. After that, it becomes much harder to put the talent around him needed to win it.
At 7-0 the Eagles have a very real chance to win it all this year — and they need to capitalize on it since the prices for all their elite talent, but especially their quarterback, continues to rise.