Saquon Barkley was blamed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons after making a last-minute layup that could have secured the win.
“I dropped the ball and let my team down today. I shouldn’t have put the defense in that position, made that catch and the game is over,” Barkley said, via the team’s official website.
Facing a third-and-three at the Falcons’ 10-yard line and a three-point lead with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter, Philly struggled with a rollout for Jalen Hurts to hit Barkley in the flat. The play worked well. The running back had a clear path and was able to win the first down.
Instead of celebrating another sensational performance that put the Eagles up 2-0, Barkley and the Eagles were disappointed. The defender botched the pass. Then the Philly defense was torn to shreds by Kirk Cousins, leading to the loss.
“I could sit here and complain and be upset about it, or I could be a professional athlete and start over again, take the loss and move on and improve because of it,” Barkley said. “I’ve made that play multiple times. I’ve missed that play before, so the situation. That happens. That’s part of the game. I just have to get better. I let my team down, I have to own up to that. I have to take responsibility, and that’s what I’m doing. I have to promise the guys in this locker room that I’m going to be better for them.”
Coach Nick Sirianni was annoyed by the decision to throw on the third attempt instead of running with the ball, thus taking 40 seconds off the clock.
“They played a certain defense and broke everything in the middle, so we tried to get around the outside, but that didn’t work,” Sirianni said.
According to NFL Research, the Eagles had a 98.5% chance of winning before Barkley’s drop.
“I trust (Barkley) to make a play every day of the week, just like anybody else,” Hurts said. “We’re going to get better because of it. It’s not about expectations, it’s about just executing what’s said. And in that moment, we failed.”
Barkley rushed for 95 yards on 22 carries in his first game in Philadelphia with the Eagles and caught four of five passes for 21 yards. That one drop was fatal, but it wasn’t the only reason Philadelphia lost.
The defense could no longer stop Bijan Robinson – or slow him down beforehand. Hurts managed a forced interception in the final seconds, when there was still time to get within field goal range, reminiscent of many late mistakes from the dismal end of 2023.
Last year, Sirianni and the Eagles found themselves in a slump after things started to go wrong. How will they respond to their first real challenge in 2024, with the Saints and Buccaneers on 2-0 losing streaks?
