The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a painful Monday Night Football loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles led during the game's last minute, but Kirk Cousins and the Falcons rallied for a thrilling 22-21 win. Starting running back Saquon Barkley was a major factor during the game. However, he had a fourth-quarter slip that caught viewers' attention.
With just under two minutes remaining, Philadelphia had the chance to put the Falcons away before Kirk Cousin's game-winning drive. Faced with a third-and-three situation, Jalen Hurts took the snap and threw a pass to Saquon Barkley, who was streaking toward the sideline. Barkley was in position to get Philly a first down, but the pass slipped through his hands.
Fans were devastated by Barkley's mishap, but the star running back emphasized that his teammates were highly supportive:
“A lot of guys had my back. I think damn-near everybody on the team came up to me and let me know I’ve got their support,” Barkley said on the response from his Eagles teammates after his drop on Monday night, per Dave Zangaro of NBCS Philly.
Saquon Barkley initially took the mistake hard on himself during his reflection on the game.
“I dropped the ball and we lost,” Barkley said after the game.
Yet, it seems like he has moved past the play and is ready to keep helping his team ascend.
Head coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles' performance against the Flacons was on the whole team, rather than just Barkley.
“They made a couple more plays than we did down the stretch. We made some plays; they made more,” Sirianni said, per ESPN. “And that’s on all of us. That starts with coaching and goes to the players. We are all responsible for the loss.”
Philly looks to bounce back in their Week 3 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.