Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) and cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Saquon Barkley's debut as an Eagle at Lincoln Financial Field felt magical at times, but turned to a nightmare late in the game when his costly drop helped propel the Atlanta Falcons to a stunning 22-21 victory.
Costly drop! @saquon Barkley can’t haul in the pass from Jalen Hurts.
The drop stopped the clock and the Eagles are forced to go for the FG.
HUGE MISTAKE BY 26. pic.twitter.com/JshkQPBdGK
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) September 17, 2024
This stopped the clock, and the Eagles ultimately kicked a field goal to go ahead 21-15. Had Barkley caught the ball, it would have been a first down and forced the Falcons to use their final timeout, essentially cementing an 18-15 Eagles win. Instead, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons marched all the way down the field, with Drake London hauling in what turned out to be a game-winning seven-yard touchdown.
While Nick Sirianni, Darius Slay and Jalen Hurts all deserve some level of blame for the late-game collapse, Barkley put it on himself after the loss.
"Once I knew it, I thought it was a great play call," Barkley said. "I just gotta make the catch."
Barkley admitted that this was a particularly difficult loss to swallow.
"Yeah, it definitely sucks," Barkley said bluntly. "Any loss sucks. But the game comes down to a few plays, and it hurts a little more when you're the one who makes a mistake on that play."
Barkley ran for 95 yards in his second game with the Eagles, and has been one of the most productive running backs in the league through the first two weeks of the season. But his costly drop certainly contributed in a huge way to this loss. With a hamstring injury likely to keep star wide receiver A.J. Brown out again in Week 3, the Eagles will need Barkley to regroup as they head to New Orleans to face a Saints team that has an NFL-best +62 point differential through two weeks.
