Eagles' Nick Sirianni defends A.J. Brown after drops, spat - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended receiver A.J. Brown following Sunday's playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a game that included multiple drops by the star receiver and a heated sideline exchange between the two.

«He's got the best hands I've ever seen. The way he catches the ball, the amount of different types of catches that he's made. When you get as many targets as he does, you're going to have some drops,» said Sirianni, who noted the wind affected the ball in the air. «I know he will beat himself up on that.»

Brown had two drops on the day, tying a career high.

One of them came with a little over two minutes remaining on a third-and-5 from the Philadelphia 40 with the Eagles trailing 23-19. Jalen Hurts kept the possession going by completing a pass to tight end Dallas Goedert on fourth down, and the Eagles eventually made it down to the San Francisco 21 before the drive stalled, ending their season in disappointing fashion.

Brown, who finished with three catches for 25 yards on seven targets, declined to speak to the media postgame.

Sirianni and Brown had an animated interaction late in the first half. Brown and left tackle Jordan Mailata were slow to get off the field following a third-down incompletion, prompting Sirianni to run down the sideline and yell at them to get off the field as the special teams readied to punt. Brown appeared to take exception, and the two got face-to-face before chief security officer Dom DiSandro calmly guided Brown in another direction.

«I love that — that passion, that fire, that grit,» Mailata said of Brown. «He gives everything, every week for us. He's dealt with some injuries and he's made himself available every game this year to be out there playing.»

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