For some NFL players competing in a Super Bowl, the idea of a loss on football’s biggest stage doesn’t register until the final whistle sounds.
But for A.J. Brown, the possibility of leaving State Farm Stadium empty-handed Sunday night started to creep into his mind well before the game clock showed all zeroes.
Speaking with the media Tuesday, two days after the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Brown revealed the moment he started to think about Philadelphia not coming out on top.
“When we were up 27-21, I knew deep down that there was probably a chance we would lose,” Brown told reporters, per a clip shared by 94WIP’s Howard Eskin.
It’s tough to blame Brown for feeling that way. Leading Kansas City by three points late in the third quarter, Philadelphia worked all the way down to its opponent’s 16-yard line but was forced to settle for a 33-yard Jake Elliott field goal. Failing to gain a two-score lead with a whole quarter left to play might as well be a death sentence when Patrick Mahomes is standing on the other sideline.
Most Eagles fans will look back to James Bradberry’s back-breaking holding penalty when they think about what could have been in the 2022 season finale. But the cornerback’s late-game infraction hardly was Philadelphia’s only crucial misstep against Kansas City.
