This Quez Watkins fumble changed the game for the Philadelphia Eagles in the worst possible way.
Facing the Washington Commanders with their undefeated season on the line, the Eagles were down 26-21 with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter. After a rough holding call on first down to push the Eagles back to their own 26, Jalen Hurts unleashed a downfield dart to an uncovered Watkins for a big gain.
That was, however, until Watkins got up from the catch and proceeded to fumble the football — the one thing you shouldn’t do! — back to the Commanders after Benjamin St-Juste recovered the ball.
.@Benj_Juice forces the fumble and the @Commanders recover!
📺: #WASvsPHI on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/qDn7D0vc2b pic.twitter.com/EyKoUrXFoh— NFL (@NFL) November 15, 2022
While not the only reason the Eagles lost their first game of the season once the 32-21 score went final, to cough up a fumble in that scenario is brutal. Sure, it felt as if the universe itself was against the Eagles on Monday night with the way some calls shook out, but if Watkins was able to keep the football secure, Philadelphia might still have its undefeated record intact.