The Philadelphia Eagles never trailed in Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card victory against the Green Bay Packers, even as Jalen Hurts and their passing offense endured some sluggish stretches. Star wide receiver A.J. Brown, meanwhile, was so content during the contest that cameras caught him literally reading a book while seated on the bench in the second half.
Brown, who led the team with 1,079 yards this season, was especially quiet against the Packers on Sunday, securing just a single catch for 10 yards. He retrieved the book with the Philadelphia defense on the field, and the Eagles up multiple scores. The Fox broadcast later identified the book as “Inner Excellence,” an inspirational manual for “self-mastery” and “powerful mental habits” endorsed and designed particularly for professional athletes, written by former Chicago Cubs player Jim Murphy.
“Man, it gives me a sense of peace,” Brown told reporters after the game. “That’s a book that I bring to every single game. My teammates call it, ‘the recipe.’ … For me, this game is mental. I know physically I can do anything and everything. But I gotta make sure my mental’s good, too.”
Brown has been vocal about literature before. The No. 1 wideout told Sports Spectrum in 2023, just ahead of the Eagles’ last Super Bowl appearance, that he “[reads] the Bible a lot, because that’s how I fight my problems,” leaning “heavily on my faith” to have better self-control.
