DETROIT — Simply put, A.J. Brown had the best receiving debut in Philadelphia team history Sunday, propelling the Eagles to a 38-35 win over the Lions.
Brown racked up 155 yards on 10 catches, the most receiving yards ever for an Eagles player in his first game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, eclipsing a mark set by Donte’ Stallworth (141 yards) in 2006. Only Anquan Boldin (208 yards, 49ers) and Randy Moss (183 yards, Patriots) had better debuts after being traded in the past 30 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The Jalen Hurts-to-Brown connection started to heat up on the second series, with the quarterback completing the ball to his good friend four times for 62 yards.
Hurts followed with arguably his prettiest pass in an Eagles uniform late in the second quarter, dropping one over cornerback Will Harris deep down the right sideline into the arms of Brown, who dragged the defender an additional 10 yards for a 54-yard completion, setting up a Jake Elliott field goal that extended the lead to 24-14. Brown ended the half with six catches for 128 yards.
The Eagles acquired Brown, 25, from the Tennessee Titans on the first night of the draft in April for a first- and third-round pick, then promptly signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension.
Hurts favored Brown in a big way Sunday, targeting him 13 times — nine more than the next-closest receiver option. Hurts went 18-of-32 for 243 yards and added 90 rushing yards on 17 carries.