What A.J. Brown's bad feeling Eagles could lose Super Bowl had to do with Quez Watkins' drop

PHILADELPHIA − The pain of the Eagles' Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was still evident two days later on wide receiver A.J. Brown's face.

He looked tired and spoke slowly and softly at his locker shortly after packing its contents in a large plastic garbage bag.

"It’s been a tough 48 hours," Brown said. "I really don’t know what to say. I was kind of dreading this interview. It’s tough right now."

In so many ways.

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Sure, Brown played well, finishing with six catches for 96 yards. That included a 45-yard touchdown catch in which Brown untangled himself from Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie to haul in the pass.

But Brown had a foreboding feeling late in the third quarter when Jake Elliott kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 6-point lead.

"When we went up 27-21, I knew deep down that it was probably a chance we were probably going to lose," Brown said.

He was then asked if it was because the Eagles settled for a field goal instead of a touchdown.

"Mmm hmmm," he responded.

Those are the opportunities the Eagles let slip away. And that brings us to the other part of that drive, Quez Watkins' missed diving catch.

The Eagles, leading 24-21, faced a second-and-9 from the Chiefs' 42 when Jalen Hurts threw deep to Watkins over the middle. Watkins had gotten behind safety Juan Thornhill, and he dove for the pass as Thornhill grabbed at his shoulder. Had Watkins come down with the catch, the Eagles would have had the ball at the Chiefs' 10-yard line, poised to go back in front by 10 points.

Instead, the ball slipped through Watkins' fingers and the Eagles eventually settled for a field goal and the 6-point lead.

The Chiefs came back down the field and scored, taking a 28-27 lead.

Two days later, Watkins is still lamenting the play.

"Really, after watching it, it was just the fact that I didn’t stick to what I know best, and that’s late hands," Watkins said. "I gave the (defensive back) a chance to know when the ball was coming. He grabbed my shoulder when the ball was coming, so I allowed him to have that key.

"If I had late hands, I would’ve been in the end zone. But I didn’t stick to my routine things."

It was that kind of season for Watkins.

After the 2021 season, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Watkins had the potential to be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. Then the Eagles traded for Brown, who ended up setting a franchise record for receiving yards with 1,496. Then DeVonta Smith improved from his rookie season and had 1,196 yards.

And tight end Dallas Goedert had 702 yards despite missing five games with a shoulder injury.

There weren't many opportunities for Watkins, who finished with 33 catches for 354 yards, a far cry from his 2021 production of 43 catches for 647 yards.

But Watkins, known for his speed, didn’t help himself either.

He had a costly mistake in the Eagles' only regular-season loss with Hurts at quarterback, a 32-21 defeat to the Washington Commanders on Nov. 14. In the fourth quarter of that game, Watkins caught a 53-yard pass, fell down, then fumbled the ball away as he got back up.

"I kind of got steered away from what I’m usually focused on, and my priorities, and things like that," Watkins said. "It was a learning and humbling experience for me. Coming off of last season, confidence was high. I kind of got a wake-up call throughout the season, and I didn’t respond well on my end."

Watkins said it didn't have anything to do with the acquisition of Brown.

In fact, he said he adapted well early in the season. He revealed Tuesday that he had played through a Grade 2 sprain in his shoulder since the game against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 4 that he said "deteriorated my confidence."

"It’s all really on me," he said. "It’s mentally on me. Physically on me. I didn’t do a good job stepping up to the plate this year. But you best believe, it won’t happen again."

That's a common theme on season closeout day when you fall short of a championship. The pain is still there, the determination to not let it happen again is too.

That's true for Brown, who knew the missed opportunities would hurt the Eagles. That's true for Watkins, who didn't perform up to his standards.

And that's true for Hurts. He was asked if he showed the world who he is as a person and a player on the biggest stage. That was the furthest thing from Hurts' mind.

"I don’t do it for the approval for anyone else," he said. "I appreciate everything that comes with it. I’m not campaigning to be loved. I’m not campaigning to be hated. I’m just trying to be the best player I can be.

"I think you have to look at yourself in the mirror and assess it for what it is. And do the things that need to be done to grow from it. I think that’s my mentality going in, and I think that’ll be this whole entire team’s mentality moving forward."

Hurts, Bradberry on contracts

Hurts knows he's coming back next season. He has one more year on his rookie contract that will count $1.9 million against the cap. But he's also eligible for an extension, and his new contract is expected to place him in the $45 million-$50 million per season range.

Hurts was asked if those talks with the Eagles have begun.

"I think the thing that I’m most focused on is winning," Hurts said. "There will be a day where that conversation can be had, but today isn’t that day."

Bradberry, meanwhile, made it seem like he would entertain offers from other teams. Last spring, he signed a one-year deal worth as much as $10 million after the Giants released him late in the free agency period.

Bradberry responded with a Pro Bowl season, and he admitted money will be a big factor in his next contract.

"Really just the roster and the money for the most part, those two things," Bradberry said. "I think my stats show that I should be a top-dollar guy. But I know there are a whole bunch of variables that go into that. We’ll see."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: When A.J. Brown had bad feeling Eagles could lose Super Bowl to Chiefs