Wide receiver A.J. Brown was targeted on 13 of quarterback Jalen Hurts' 32 attempts on Sunday. No other player saw more than four targets.
But the Eagles have a good problem; they had more suitable targets than they knew what to do with. Hurts has options.
"Obviously, DeVonta (Smith) is a premier player in this league, and did I think in a million years he wouldn't have a catch? Absolutely not. I did not think it was going to go that way," said Steichen.
"But that's my job, I've got to get him the ball. Same with Dallas (Goedert), same with Quez (Watkins), Zach (Pascal), all those guys. I think that's the great dilemma we have. We have a great offensive line and we run it well, and we have the ability to throw it, too. So you have to get all those guys touches, and that's our job to get that done."
Brown got the lion's share of looks, henceforth receiving substantial attention and praise after recording 10 catches for 155 yards. But Steichen assures that target distribution is not a point of contention within the offense. Instead, they share a goal, and that goal is to win.
"You know what the best part is? This group in general, they're all selfless, and this is an ultimate team game, and it's all about winning. Those guys understand that," he said.
"As competitors, do they want the ball? Absolutely, they want the ball. But as long as we're winning and we're scoring points, I think everyone is going to be pretty happy."
Brown got the most touches this week, but that's no prediction of how it will be week to week. Now that Brown and Hurts' undeniable connection is on the map, it's not unlikely that upcoming opponents will game plan to disrupt it. And when they do, Hurts will have plenty of trusted, high-caliber teammates to look to.
"I think anytime a guy like A.J., he has 10 catches for 155, teams have to be aware of that. We have to be ready to adjust," said Steichen. "That's the beauty of having three studs, along with Quez is a stud, that if they start rolling to certain guys or whoever it is and how they start to play guys, we have to go through our reads and go from there."
