During the first half of the wild-card game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver A.J. Brown and head coach Nick Sirianni got heated at each other on the sideline.
The spat occurred in the second quarter when Sirianni sprinted over to Brown on the sideline as he left the field and got into the star wideout's face.
They exchanged words face to face, and then Brown had more to say following the initial back and forth.
Here's what we know about what caused the exchange.
Why Sirianni, Brown got into sideline spat
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the fight started because Sirianni was yelling at Brown to get off the field before the Eagles were penalized for too many men on the field.
"I’m not sure this even registers as a top-10 A.J. Brown controversy. Sirianni told him to get off the field, seemingly to avoid a penalty for too many men. Jordan Mailata was close, too. There was time on the play clock and it got reset though," Garafolo reported.
I’m not sure this even registers as a top-10 A.J. Brown controversy. Sirianni told him to get off the field, seemingly to avoid a penalty for too many men. Jordan Mailata was close, too. There was time on the play clock and it got reset though 🤷🏻♂️. Pic.twitter.com/1jP1LgbGBR
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 11, 2026
Coming out of the half, Sirianni didn't make a big deal out of it.
Instead, he said that he and Brown would "go back to loving each other," and added that "we're just fine, thanks."
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