The NFC Championship game—a showdown already spiced up enough, 55-23, is over, but the drama isn’t. And not the fun “reality TV” kind—this was straight-up NFL primetime. The Eagles were dominating, the Commanders were scrambling, and then in the second quarter, a touchdown celebration turned into a headline-worthy face-off. Cue the helmets flying, flags being thrown, and social media blowing up. Philly fans were like, “That’s our guy!” while Commanders fans…well, let’s just say their mentions weren’t as kind. Now AJ Brown has added more spice to the narrative.

Even Brown’s direct quote—“He engaged me first”—has been churned up into oblivion. The Eagles wide receiver who’s been under contract through 2029 & with a total guarantee of $84M (which is also the highest), truly wasted no time clearing the air post-game. And, folks, his take on Commanders’ CB Marshon Lattimore was a chef’s kiss. Brown broke it down with a mix of frustration, honesty, and—dare we say—a bit of swagger, “I’m not out there to fight but I will fight if it goes there, I stopped when they [refs] said stop and he ain’t stop.” AJ Brown? He balled out this season with 67 receptions, 1,079 yards, and 7 touchdowns.

Oh, and don’t forget the 11 playoff games under his belt. In this championship matchup, he snagged six catches for 96 yards and a TD.

He didn’t stop there. “Listen. I first of all, alright. You wanna talk about it? Yeah. He engaged me first. He was knocking my helmet off. So when I—when I was knocking his helmet off? Yeah. I just stopped, bro. I put my hands out because I’m still playing football. I’m not out there to fight, but I will fight if it would go there. You know what I’m saying? Yeah.” Translation? Brown’s playing football, not WWE. But also, if it had gone full SmackDown, he was ready. Lattimore? He might’ve gotten a little too comfy in the chaos.

So with just under 39 seconds left in the second quarter, Brown snagged a touchdown and what followed was less of a celebration and more of a WWE promo gone wrong. A little jawing turned into a lot of shoving, helmets went flying, and Lattimore ended up with an unnecessary roughness penalty to his name. A notable altercation occurred between Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown and Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Brown offered a hilariously blunt recount that sounded more like a friend spilling tea than a pro athlete justifying his actions.

This isn’t the first time NFL players have beefed, and it sure won’t be the last. But this scuffle? It wasn’t just about the game. It was about ego. “Fifty-fifty, bruh,” Brown said, summing up the incident like it was a pick-up game at Rucker Park. But hey, like he added, “That’s a football play, though. Guys get the guys toasted all the time.” After all, this indeed was a fierce battle.

A Battle of Titans

Brown, now in his third season with the Eagles, has been balling out since his Tennessee days. He’s the guy who broke records in college, torched defenses in the NFL, and casually rewrote history in 2023 with six straight games of 125+ receiving yards. Meanwhile, Lattimore, fresh off a mid-season trade to Washington, has been locking down wideouts since his New Orleans days. Their clash was less about ego and more about two guys refusing to back down.

As for Lattimore, who joined the Commanders mid-season? The dude’s got a Pro Bowl résumé (4 selections!) and some serious stats: 409 total tackles, 15 picks, and 5 fumble recoveries over his career. But on Sunday? Three solo tackles and two defended passes weren’t enough to contain Philly’s offensive avalanche—or their WR1.

Before we get too caught up in the drama, let’s talk numbers. AJ Brown brought the heat with six receptions on eight targets, a team-high 96 yards, and a crucial touchdown. The man was out there playing like he had Calvin Johnson’s spirit, whispering, “Make it count.” Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts flexed his MVP-caliber skills, with 246 passing yards, and one touchdown. Not to mention, Saquon Barkley was breaking ankles like he was in an AND1 mixtape, rushing for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

In contrast to AJ Brown’s play, Marshon Lattimore received less attention during the game. Jayden Daniels delivered a promising performance for Washington with 255 yards passing and a single touchdown, yet this was insufficient to halt Philadelphia’s unstoppable offense. Let’s get one thing straight: This game clearly wasn’t like a basic playground fight. The game saw AJ Brown with 7,026 receiving yards and three Pro Bowl selections as a wide receiver facing Marshon Lattimore, who collected four Pro Bowl selections and achieved 15 career interceptions as a cornerback. These dudes are elite. Two alpha dogs face off against each other, with games failing to resolve their conflicts.

So, was it 50-50? Maybe. But in the court of public opinion—and the scoreboard—AJ Brown walked away with both the W and the last word. And come February? He’s got bigger fish to fry. (Spoiler: It’s the Super Bowl.)