The Philadelphia Eagles were effectively a Saquon Barkley catch away from shutting the door on the Atlanta Falcons during their 22–21 defeat on Monday night.
With the ball in the Eagles' possession and ahead by three points with less than two minutes to go, Nick Sirianni opted to draw up a screen pass for Barkley rather than run the ball on third-and-3. It was a catch that Barkley makes 99 times out of 100, but he stunningly wasn't able to secure the grab despite the throw from Jalen Hurts being well within his reach.
Barkley's costly drop enabled the Falcons to get the ball back with some time on the clock, as Kirk Cousins led his first game-winning drive for his new team.
After the game, Barkley shouldered the blame for his uncharacteristic mistake.
"I dropped the ball. Let my team down today. Shouldn't have put the defense in that position. If I make the catch, game's over," said Barkley to reporters after the game, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Costly drop! @saquon Barkley can’t haul in the pass from Jalen Hurts.
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) September 17, 2024
The drop stopped the clock and the Eagles are forced to go for the FG.
HUGE MISTAKE BY 26. pic.twitter.com/JshkQPBdGK
Barkley was the hero in the Eagles' season opener after scoring three touchdowns during the victory against the Green Bay Packers. Things turned out quite differently in his home debut.
The 27-year-old rushed 22 times for 95 yards while securing four receptions for 21 yards in the loss. Barkley's most memorable play will be the one he didn't make, and he took responsibility for his mistake after the game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Saquon Barkley Takes Blame for Eagles' Loss to Falcons After Costly Drop.
