A.J. Brown News

Brown made his presence known early in the game when he made an impressive 45-yard grab for a touchdown to kick off the second quarter. He also chipped in some additional production, highlighted by a 22-yard reception just before halftime to set up a field goal. The effort capped Brown's first season in Philadelphia, during which he posted a career-best 88 receptions and 1,496 yards across 17 games.

The Eagles' passing game never had to ramp it up, as Brock Purdy (elbow) got hurt early for the Niners and their offense struggled with journeyman Josh Johnson (concussion) under center. As a result, Brown had a second straight quiet playoff performance after reaching at least 70 yards in six straight games to close out the regular season. The hip issue that's slowed the fourth-year wideout in practice lately may have also been a factor, but Brown will have two weeks to heal up before the Super Bowl.

Brown was slow to get to his feet a few times during the later stages of this past Saturday's divisional-round win against the Giants. He touched on the subject Sunday, telling Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer that his left hip got banged up during the contest. According to McLane, Brown also said that he's "good to go" prior to Wednesday's walkthrough, which was confirmed now that his name wasn't included among Philadelphia's injured players on the active roster. Brown thus is set to face a San Francisco defense that was surprisingly yielding to wide receivers during the regular season, ranking 26th in yards per target (8.5) and tied for 26th in total touchdowns (18) allowed.

Because the Eagles raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead, Brown was afforded some rest late in the contest and finished the victory with three catches for 22 yards on six targets while playing 51 of 69 snaps on offense (73.9 percent). The hip issue doesn't look to be anything that will affect Brown's availability for the NFC Championship Game matchup with the 49ers this coming Sunday, but Brown could have his reps managed early on during the practice week as a precaution. By the time Sunday arrives, however, Brown should be ready to handle a full workload as the Eagles aim to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in six seasons.

Brown turned in a surprisingly middling showing in a game during which the Eagles offense was close to clicking on all cylinders. The Giants appeared to do a good job limiting Brown with help from star cornerback Adoree' Jackson, but fellow pass catchers DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert were able to take advantage. Brown will aim to atone for the quiet performance in an NFC Championship Game battle against either the Cowboys or 49ers a week from Sunday.

Even with Jalen Hurts being held back in his return from a shoulder strain, Brown still nearly recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season. The 25-year-old wideout wraps up his first regular season in Philadelphia with 88 catches on 145 targets for 1,496 yards, all career highs, and 11 touchdowns (tying the mark he hit in 2020), and he and Hurts will now get a week to rest with the Eagles having secured the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.