Saquon Barkley didn’t want to entertain any thoughts about the play call or the strategy behind it.
He had the game on his hands.
And he dropped it.
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“I dropped the ball,” Barkley said. “I let my team down today. Shouldn’t have the defense in that position. Game’s over.”
While the rest of us can certainly question the coaching decisions that led to the Eagles’ devastating 22-21 loss to the Falcons on Monday Night Football, Barkley’s focus was narrowed to the play he didn’t make.
The situation: Up 3 with just 1:46 remaining in the 4th quarter — 3rd-and-3 from the Falcons’ 10-yard line. The Eagles had Jalen Hurts roll to his right to hit Barkley with a pass in the flat. The play worked but it was fair to question the decision to put the ball in the air.
Was Barkley surprised the Eagles called a pass in that situation?
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“Once I knew it, I thought it was a great play call,” he said. “I just gotta make the catch.”
The pass from Hurts was perfect and the ball hit Barkley in the hands. But as he turned to head upfield to get the first down, he simply didn’t secure the catch.
On a night where Barkley was one of the best players on the field, he couldn’t make a play to seal a win.
“Obviously it’s a tough loss. We learn from it,” Hurts said. “I trust him every day of the week to make a play just like everybody else, and so we’ll be better from it.”
After Barkley dropped the ball on third down, head coach Nick Sirianni elected to kick a field goal on fourth down to give the Eagles a 21-15 lead, which set up a quick game-winning, 70-yard touchdown drive from Kirk Cousins and the Falcons to escape the Linc with a win.
The decision to kick a field goal was a questionable one.
“I’m never going to question coach. I trust him,” Barkley said. “We have one of the best if not the best kickers in the game. He made a field goal. At the end of the day, that’s not a conversation we have if I make that catch.”
Before the drop, Barkley was having a really strong performance. He had 22 carries for 95 yards and caught 4 passes for 21 yards. Another 26-touch day for Barkley but he played really well again.
“I trust him in every moment,” Hurts said. “He’s a hell of a player. He gave us a big spark in those moments. It just wasn’t for us tonight.”
Barkley had a good game on Monday night.
But … the drop.
“It definitely sucks,” Barkley said. “Any loss sucks. But when the game comes down to a few plays, it hurts a little more when you’re the one who’s making a mistake on that play.”
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