One Thing Missing From A.J. Brown's Game

Thus far in 2021, the Tennessee Titans wide receiver has produced the volume of yards after the catch that was so common in his first two NFL seasons.

NASHVILLE – Watching A.J. Brown catch passes was only half the fun for Tennessee Titans fans during his first two seasons in the NFL.

It was when Brown tucked the ball under his arm and headed upfield that the real excitement began.

How many times did he turn a simple crossing route into a monster gain, sometimes even a touchdown? How often did he blast through attempted arm tackles or overwhelm overmatched cornerbacks following receptions?

So, as much as Brown’s season has charted upward over the past couple of weeks, there is still one element to his game – one defining element – that has yet to return: yards after catch.

In his rookie season, Brown led the NFL with an average of 8.8 yards after catch, piling up about 44 percent of his 1,051 receiving yards in that manner. In 2020, Brown’s second season, he finished tied for 12th with an average of 6.2 yards after the catch, again compiling over 40 percent of his total receiving yards (1,075) once the ball was in his hands.

That’s why this year’s numbers are so surprising. Brown is averaging only 3.9 yards after catch per reception, which leaves him tied for 76th in that department heading into Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Maybe even more eye-opening? Per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Brown’s expected yards after catch this year is 4.7 per reception, and the (-0.8) difference between expectations and reality is fourth-worst in the league.

“A couple plays, I wish I could have finished longer, went a little longer,” Brown said Friday. “I fell short a couple plays. I should have had another touchdown. That’s all in the past now. But I definitely want to continue to do what I do out there.”

What’s behind the strange stats for a receiver who’s so often exceeded expectations since the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft?

One factor to consider is that it’s a relatively small sample size. Brown has played only five full games this season, as he had to leave the first Indianapolis game early with a hamstring strain and sat out the following week against the New York Jets. Overall, the 2020 Pro Bowler has played 64 percent of the Titans’ offensive snaps in 2021, down from 81 percent last year.

“Yeah, I think it’s shots on goal a little bit,” offensive coordinator Todd Downing, borrowing a hockey term, said. “We talked about this a couple weeks ago in the run game. We were close to popping (a big gain) in the run game, and we were fortunate enough to get out against Buffalo and have a nice long run there.

“I think the same thing holds true for A.J. with these (play-action) passes. He’s certainly working hard at it, and I feel that success will come.”

Still, to date, Brown has been less elusive, less overpowering.

He forced 18 missed tackles in each of his first two seasons, per Pro Football Focus, but has just one to his credit so far this year. He broke eight tackles in 2019 and 13 in 2020, per Pro Football Reference, but hasn’t broken any this season.

Those numbers just don’t look right for the musclebound 6-foot-1, 226-pound Brown, who’s been a handful to take down over the years for smaller defensive backs. The fact that Brown so often uses his hands to catch passes early – as opposed to letting the football reach his body – is another reason he is generally so hard to tackle.

“I think looking back over the course of my career, the guys that have produced with the ball in their hands are very confident catching it out in front of their body and accelerating through the catch,” Downing said. “That gives them the momentum to break arm tackles or to fight through the contact at the catch point, and A.J. works very hard to do that. So that’s certainly an attribute that I think helps his success.”

The good news is that if Brown’s yards-after-the-catch numbers trend along with the rest of his game, they’ll soon be much improved. Because overall, Brown is clearly moving in the right direction.

In his first four games, Brown caught just 10 of 25 passes thrown in his direction, totaling 130 yards (a 13-yard average) and a touchdown. But the last two games? Brown has caught 15 of 18 targets, good for 224 yards (14.9-yard average) and a touchdown. He now leads the team with 25 receptions and 354 receiving yards and is tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches.

“It’s a part of me getting healthier and a part of me getting more opportunity,” Brown said. “We do what we’re supposed to do on offense, and that creates more opportunity. Not just for me, but for everyone.”

Added quarterback Ryan Tannehill: “More than anything it is more opportunities that (Brown) is getting. We are getting into a little more groove offensively and moving the football so that is going to create more opportunities. He is also feeling better. He was out for a few weeks with an injury, so to get him back and healthy was huge.”

The receiving yards, it seems, are starting to pile up once again for Brown.

The hope is that the yards after catch will soon follow suit.