Devonta Smith is getting realistic about playing without AJ Brown in Week 8

The Philadelphia Eagles bounced back from an embarrassing Week 6 loss to the New York Giants with a 28-22 win over the Minnesota Vikings last week. Now the Eagles have a chance to avenge their loss to their division rival in a Week 8 rematch with the Giants. But Philadelphia will be missing a key offensive player with AJ Brown shut down.

The Eagles announced that Brown will not play in Sunday’s NFC East showdown with a hamstring injury. The Pro Bowl was unable to practice during the week because the scar tissue caused the hamstring to tighten.

Brown’s absence is a big blow to an Eagles offense that has struggled with consistency. Fellow Philadelphian receiver DeVonta Smith acknowledged influence from injury. “Obviously, he’s a great player. … We’re going to have to adjust (while) he’s not there. Everybody’s going to have to learn a little bit more, guys are going to be moving to different spots,” Smith said, per Zach Berman of the Athletics.

Eagles lose Brown to Giants revenge

The Eagles won their first four games this season before back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and Giants. Philadelphia’s offensive struggles during the mini-slump have frustrated Brown and Smith. Tensions boiled over after an ugly loss to the Giants.

Brown became the subject of trade rumors as the seven-year wideout looked increasingly unhappy with his role in the offense.

But then the Eagles rebounded. Jalen Hurts made sure to show his receivers’ Week 7 matchup with the Vikings. Hurts had his best game of the season, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns. It was his first 300-yard pass since Week 3 of 2024.

Both Brown and Smith celebrated with 4/121/2 and 9/183/1 receiving lines respectively. The 183-yard performance was a career high for Smith. And Brown recorded his first multi-touchdown game since Week 8, 2023.

Now, after the break, Brown is sidelined with an injury. Smith hopes to build on his phenomenal performance in Week 7 against the Giants Sunday.

While the Eagles’ passing attack has garnered attention for its struggles this season, it’s actually the Eagles’ running game that has experienced an even more puzzling decline. Philadelphia went from the second-best rushing offense last season (179.3 yards per game) to the 30th-ranked rushing offense this year (8 yards).