Senior News Writer Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni defended star wide receiver A.J. Brown after a dismal outing in Sunday's 23-19 Wild Card Weekend loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which included drops and a heated sideline exchange between the coach and wideout. Brown generated just three catches for 25 yards on seven targets. He put up a goose-egg in just two second-half targets as the Eagles offense -- as it had most of the regular season -- went in the tank in the final two quarters. Brown had two drops and couldn't catch up to a couple of deep passes that wafted in the wind. One flub came on a third-and-5 on the Eagles' final drive with just over two minutes remaining when a clean ball clanged off Brown's hands. Jalen Hurts kept the possession going by completing a pass to tight end Dallas Goedert on fourth down, but the drive ultimately stalled, ending Philly's season. "He's got the best hands I've ever seen," Sirianni said of Brown, via the team's official transcript. "The way he catches the ball, the amount of different types of catches that he's made. When you get as many targets as he does, you're going to have some drops. Not ever using an excuse, but the ball moves differently in the wind. I thought Jalen did a good job of cutting the wind a lot of times, but yeah, we had some uncharacteristic drops. I think the one that he had, we overcame it the very next play with Dallas. But yeah, I know he will beat himself up on that." Sirianni and Brown had a bit of a sideline dustup late in the second quarter after the receiver and left tackle Jordan Mailata were slow to get off the field following a third-down incompletion. TV cameras caught the interaction between coach and receiver, in which Brown appeared to take exception to the coach's animated response. Sirianni dismissed the interaction. "I was trying to get him off the field because we were about to punt and that was really it," he said. "I love A.J. I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him. We've probably [gone] through every emotion you can possibly have together. We've laughed together, we've cried together, we've yelled at each other. We're both emotional. I was trying to get him off the field, and that happens in this game. That happens in this game, but I love him." Brown declined to speak to reporters after the game. It was a roller-coaster for the star receiver, who got off to a slow start and voiced his frustration multiple times this season, both on social media and to local reporters. He finished the campaign with 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns on 78 catches in 15 regular-season games. With the in-season frustrations spilling over to the postseason, Brown's future appears up in the air heading into the 2026 offseason. Even with Sirianni and the Eagles saying all the right things, there is sure to be chatter about Philly potentially trading their star receiver in the coming months. The playoffs are here and you won't want to miss a moment. Now you don't have to! With NFL+ Premium, watch every playoff game live on mobile, get NFL RedZone during the regular season, stream game replays, and more! And for a limited time, get 40% off an NFL+ annual plan. Offer ends 2/16/26. Sign up today!