It was clear as day that when Philadelphia Eagles fans saw the box score to the 31-25 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, questions were going to be asked about wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Once again, it was another game where Brown was non-existent in the offense. He finished with two receptions for seven yards in the win. What's worse is that Jalen Hurts tried to get the ball to him with nine targets, and it still wasn't enough.
When looking at all nine of Brown's targets, there was either tight coverage on him or Hurts wasn't able to get it in his reach to catch. The Buccaneers' secondary played Brown tough, but it only added flame to an already dangerous situation in Philly.
After the game, Brown took to social media to post a cryptic mess that would only add fuel to the fire.
"If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."
Nick Sirianni back at it with damage control in Philly
Once Sirianni stepped up to the Zoom call on Monday with the media, everyone knew what was coming next: questions about Brown's post. According to WIP's Eliot Shorr-Parks, Sirianni implied that he had a conversation with Brown about his post, but did not disclose it to the media. Instead, he returned to his talking point of discussing how Brown is committed to the Eagles.
"Yeah, yeah (he wants to be here)," Sirianni said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "Obviously, A.J. is very important to this football team. I know he wants to contribute...and do the things that he's capable of doing. ...Again, he wants to contribute into these wins. And he's had a couple games where he hasn't been able to do for different reasons... I question nothing about his desire to play great football, desire of being a good teammate, desire to be here."
Can fans blame Sirianni? He's trying to ensure that a situation doesn't worsen than it already is with his comments. Everyone believes Brown is frustrated to the point that he wants out, and Sirianni doesn't want to kill the momentum of the season with the team sitting at 4-0.
Read more: Nick Sirianni snaps public into reality with cold hard truth about Tush Push
If Sirianni thinks this storyline with Brown is going away anytime soon, he is sadly mistaken. Eagles fans will be sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for the other shoe to drop every time Brown has a bad game. The hope is that this doesn't become a significant enough distraction to disrupt the team.