Jerry Rice has never had two doubles in a row. Neither is Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne or Tyreek Hill. Larry Fitzgerald has never played in two consecutive games.
THAT he played three games in a row with the Cowboys, and it’s an amazing win. But half of what AJ Brown did.
No one else has ever done what Brown has done, and probably no one ever will.
Brown on Sunday continued his impressive and unprecedented streak with his sixth consecutive NFL game with at least 125 yards. Two former Lions – Pat Studstill in 1966 and Calvin Johnson in 2012 – have recorded five straight.
“He’s doing amazing things,” Jalen Hurts said. “He is playing at a very high level and very consistent and as a teammate, I know what he is like and where he is coming from.
“It’s amazing how hard he works, what he does in the offseason, where his mind is. …I’m proud of him as a teammate and as a quarterback and I’m proud that he’s really committed to winning and putting the team first and doing whatever he needs to do to win.”
To put Brown’s accomplishments into perspective, no one in Eagles history has recorded more than three consecutive games of 125 yards. Harold Jackson did in the first three games of 1972.
Brown is six years old. And I’m still going.
Studstill’s 1966 streak ended with a 74-yarder in a game against the Colts at Tiger Stadium. Johnson finished just seven yards short of 125 yards when he had 118 in the game against the Packers at Lambeau. He then had 121 yards at Arizona and 225 against the Falcons, so he was just 11 yards shy of eight in a row.
Only eight other receivers have six games of 125 yards in their careers entire career of the Eagles. Tommy McDonald was 13, Mike Quick and DeSean Jackson 12, Pete Retzlaff 10, Harold Jackson eight, Jeremy Maclin seven and Ben Hawkins and Harold Carmichael six.
Brown has six in 35 days.
It’s an amazing achievement, even if he doesn’t look at it that way.
“I know people come up and tell you (about it), but you know, you’ve got to be humble in this game,” Brown said after the Eagles beat the Reigns 38-31 at FedEx Field. “You have to go out and prove it every week. That’s what I’m trying to do. I try to come to work and try to do better every day. “
In those six games, Brown has just eight catches for 139 yards and five touchdowns. He has put himself in the MVP race and enters Week 9 just 61 yards shy of 1,000 on the season.
His 939 yards are 6Th-most in NFL history through eight games. He is also the first Eagle in history to catch six or more in six straight games.
And while Brown may not be overly impressed with his NFL record, his coach certainly is.
“I want that jersey,” Sirianni said after the game. “I want that jersey before the NFL has it.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. Good. The history of this league and the history of this game is special to me. And when you do something that no one has ever done in history, and one of your players does it, that’s great.
“So AJ has done more in six games than anyone who’s ever played in the game. And that’s pretty special.”
On the road Sunday, Brown made one of the most spectacular catches you’ll ever see, a one-handed miracle late in the second quarter and an incredible move to get both feet — and knees — in bounds.
“That’s something I’ve seen him do for a long time,” Hurts said. “She was so scared.”
But that’s how it has been for Brown.
He won’t wake up right now. He beats two teams with his body and runs past the corners when he has one clue. And Hurts has so much confidence in Brown that he just looks at him even when he’s covered and sees Brown out muscle d-backs and come down with the ball.
About halfway through the season, Brown is on pace for 127 catches for 1,995 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Those are crazy numbers. No one has ever topped 1,995 yards in a season (though Hill is on pace for 2,154), and only eight receivers have caught 127. Brown is also averaging 15.7 yards per catch, 6Th-highest among receivers with at least 32 catches.
Sirianni was critical of Brown the wide receiver on Sunday but more critical of Brown the man.
“He did a lot of unsung things that were great, and he’s a great leader,” Sirianni said. “Like I took him off the field when we were on defense. I was like, ‘You’re not going in!’ He was on the field encouraging our boys, believing in our boys.
“I’ve told you guys this before. I think I said after there were questions about the discipline he had the last time we played Washington, that there is no better guy on our team than AJ Brown. There may not be a better player on our team than AJ Brown, but there is no better person.
“And I love these guys on the inside. And that’s a huge compliment. … Shoot, I’m happy (to say that) someone who is as high as AJ as a worker, as a person, as a friend. Everything. Everything that he is. Son, father, everything those differences. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he is on the field and off the field.”