A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a score as the Philadelphia Eagles trounced the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game. The wide receiver will now embark on the interminable two-week layoff before the Super Bowl, having made the trip once before with the Eagles. That trip ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. But Brown, who has done a lot of reading since then, is looking forward to this trip with lessons learned from the last.
“This is very different,” Brown said. “My emotions are intact. Of course, I’m excited for guys who haven’t been before. But I just want to win. I just want to win. Maybe I’ll let my emotions go if we get to do that.”
Brown spoke about all the hoopla and obligations that must be fulfilled before kickoff and how it can change one's mental focus.
“Last time, I honestly felt like a paid actor during the whole week, just everything, so many interviews. The only part that felt like real football was the game. And so when you remove all those things and you’re just trying to focus on the game and that’s the only thing that matters. And just trying to win. Everything else is for everybody else.”
Interestingly enough, Brown put up the exact same stat line in the Eagles' previous Super Bowl loss to Kansas City (six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown) so he was very productive and engaged when the bright lights came on.
“We’ve been there before,” Brown said. “I’m not saying that I’m used to it but you’ve been there before, you know what it’s like and you know what’s at stake. You know how to handle it now. That’s the only thing I’m focused on. Doing things differently. Trying to do everything in my power to try to get us a win.”
Perhaps no NFL player has taken as many public steps to showcase they are in the right mindset as Brown. We'll see if it pays off.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A.J. Brown Says He Felt Like 'Paid Actor' During Last Super Bowl Experience.
