Tennessee Titans preview upcoming matchup with A.J. Brown
With the Tennessee Titans (7-4) heading to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the Eagles (10-1), all the attention will be on former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown matching up against his former team. Brown’s time in Tennessee did not end amicably this offseason. When the Titans traded Brown on the night of the 2022 […]
With the Tennessee Titans (7-4) heading to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the Eagles (10-1), all the attention will be on former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown matching up against his former team.
Brown’s time in Tennessee did not end amicably this offseason. When the Titans traded Brown on the night of the 2022 NFL Draft, many fans, players, and NFL analysts were confused and upset. While the main cause of the trade was the lack of progress in contract negotiations between the two sides, reports were conflicting as to what actually went down.
It didn’t help that Brown took to Twitter to defer blame to the front office:
As the season has gone on, the hostility has only gotten worse.
Brown has made podcast appearances where he said that playing for Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was “no fun” and once again hit social media to troll Tennessee’s wide receivers (his former teammates) every chance he has gotten.
Brown and the Titans will meet again on Sunday for the first time since the trade, but while the game is likely circled on the calendar for Brown and Titans fans everywhere, the Titans are trying to make it less about A.J., and more about the bigger picture.
“People are going to talk about it. It is what it is,” said Titans safety Kevin Byard.“Obviously, A.J. is a really great receiver, but they have a lot of other weapons. We’re going to make it about the entire offense, not just about A.J.”… “A.J. is one of their guys, but it’s going to be about us trying to go beat the Philadelphia Eagles.”
When Mike Vrabel was asked how to prevent this week from being “all about A.J. Brown,’ the Titans’ head coach put emphasis on Philadelphia being 10-1 and the best team in the NFL. A huge opportunity for his team to prove themselves and go against the best.
While Vrabel has the right approach, there’s no pretending that this is not a big matchup for Tennessee. Wide receiver Robert Woods wasn’t even a teammate of Brown’s last season, but he’s still aware of the intensity that will be present in this matchup.
“I know this is probably going to be a big one…some trades and all that stuff going on there,” Woods told the media on Monday.
The NFL really should have flexed this one to prime time. With two playoff teams, an electric atmosphere in Philly, Brown looking for revenge, and rookie WR Treylon Burks on the rise, this is bound to produce some major storylines.
Emotions will be running high on Sunday.
Feature images via USA TODAY Sports
