A lot has been said about the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive issues over the last two games, but one former NFL wide receiver may have pinpointed exactly what’s going wrong — especially when it comes to A.J. Brown and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
On a recent episode of Nightcap, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson broke down the Eagles’ 16–9 Week 11 win over the Detroit Lions with Shannon Sharpe. His main takeaway: the Eagles’ offense has become extremely predictable, and Brown’s alignment is giving away the play before the ball is even snapped.
According to Johnson, “The fact that I can tell you, based on A.J. Brown’s alignment, I can tell you exactly the route he’s running — that’s not good. If I know it just from watching games on Sundays, imagine what the guys covering him are thinking. He had 11 targets, but it’s the same stuff over and over. If he lines up two yards outside the numbers by himself, it’s a hitch. If it’s two-by-two with Smitty or a tight end on his side and he’s off the ball, it’s a slant. If he’s inside, it’s a quick out or a stick. It’s the same thing.”
Johnson added that he understands why Brown is frustrated: “Not only is he not putting up the numbers he wants, but defenders know what’s coming just based on where he lines up. The route tendencies and formations never change.”
A harsh — but fair — critique of the offense
Many fans and analysts have noticed the same trend: Brown runs a limited set of routes. The hitch route in particular has become a talking point, and Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert all rank inside the top 16 in hitch routes run league-wide.
Another major criticism is Brown’s lack of separation this season. He hasn’t produced as many explosive plays, and there are moments where he appears to throttle down instead of continuing his route vertical for Jalen Hurts.
But some of the blame also falls on Patullo. The offense has lacked creativity, relying heavily on players to create yards after the catch instead of designing concepts that naturally get receivers open.
As more analysts break down the Eagles’ predictable tendencies, concerns among the fan base continue to grow. Many are already wondering whether significant changes to the offensive staff could be coming once the season ends.