PHILADELPHIA − Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has a good idea of what Saquon Barkley is going through as Barkley faces his former team, the New York Giants , for the first time.
Brown went through this in 2022, facing his former team, the Tennessee Titans, after the Titans had traded him to the Eagles. All week, Brown had downplayed any extra motivation, much like Barkley has this week leading into the game on Sunday against the Giants, with whom Barkley spent his first six seasons.
After that game, Brown said the game did mean more to him. Brown had 8 catches for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Eagles’ 35-10 win.
“I think he’s handled it the best way he can,” Brown said about Barkley. “You know, of course, I think the beast will probably be let out Sunday. He’s doing a great job keeping it one day at a time. He’s doing what he regularly does. Just coming to work doing those things.”
Brown was then asked if it was hard not to get too hyped up during the week.
“It’s not hard,” Brown said. “You can just control your emotion through the week because you don’t play anybody during the week. You not try to let it get bigger than what it is, because ultimately it comes down to making plays on Sunday, and you have to treat it like as any other week.”