Saquon Barkley suffered a nightmare drop late that led to the Philadelphia Eagles ’ stunning Monday Night Football loss to the Atlanta Falcons .
The Eagles, who defeated the Green Bay Packers in Brazil to open their 2024 NFL season, led 18-15 late following a huge fourth-down stop. On third-and-three deep in Falcons territory, ESPN Analytics gave the Eagles a 97.6 percent chance to win the game if they had run the ball on third down for no gain.
However, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called a boot, with Jalen Hurts wheeling to his right to deliver a pass into the flat for Barkley . While the former New York Giants star was open and in prime position to seal the game with a first down, the ball spilled out of his hands and tumbled to the floor.
Philadelphia decided to kick a field goal to go up 21-15, but Kirk Cousins led a dramatic six-play, 70-yard drive in just 1:05 to secure his first win as a Falcon . Cousins found Drake London in the end zone, ensuring both NFC franchises sit 1-1 through two games.
The probability of the Eagles winning if they went for it on fourth down following the Barkley drop was 95 percent compared to 90 percent by kicking it. But Barkley did not need statistics to understand the weight of his error. “I let my team down today,” Barkley said after the Falcons’ 22-21 win. “I shouldn't have put the defense in that position. If I make the catch, the game is over.”
On Barkley’s drop and the decision to kick the points, Sirianni said: “They were running a certain defense and were junking it up in the middle so we were trying to go around on the outside and it didn't work. [On] fourth-and-3 ... with them not having any timeouts, I wanted them to be down a touchdown and see if they could drive the field, and they did. Hats off to them.”
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Barkley has 16 drops since the start of the 2021 season, which is the most by any running back across that timeframe. However, the 27-year-old’s threat in both the ground and aerial attack is what makes him such a coveted weapon, as he proved with an impressive touchdown reception against the Packers.
Barkley, who signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles this offseason, earned NFC Player of the Week honors in Week 1 after starring with three total touchdowns against Green Bay . His Eagles debut at Lincoln Financial Field did not go to plan, although he still tallied 116 yards from scrimmage.
“I could sit here and complain and be upset about it or I could be a professional athlete and go back to the drawing board and take the lick and move on and get better from it,” Barkley added. His 1-1 Eagles take on the 2-0 New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Sept. 22.
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