The Philadelphia Eagles endured a heartbreaking 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, as Kirk Cousins engineered a dramatic game-winning drive after a horrific error by Saquon Barkley.
In his much-anticipated home debut for the Eagles, Barkley’s misstep proved costly.
With the Eagles leading by three points and just under two minutes left, a first down would have sealed the victory. On third-and-short, quarterback Jalen Hurts found Barkley wide open, but the running back dropped what seemed to be an extremely routine catch.
This forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal, giving them a six-point lead with 1:20 remaining.
The Falcons, with no timeouts left, needed a touchdown and an extra point to win.
Cousins, showing why Atlanta signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason, led a rapid march down the field.
Wide receiver Drake London capped off the drive with a clutch touchdown reception, silencing the Philadelphia crowd.
It was shocking just how easy Cousins was able to lead the Falcons down the field on the winning drive. Eagles fans were left wondering where in the world their pass rush was.
For Barkley, it was a bitter end to what had been an otherwise productive night.
He tallied 95 rushing yards on 22 carries and added 21 receiving yards on four catches. His performance followed an outstanding Week 1 showing, where he rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
However, his inexcusable drop helped cost the Eagles the game.
Giants fans would be the first to tell you, besides Barkley always being hurt, his constant struggles catching balls out of the backfield has always been one of his biggest weaknesses.
Sure enough, his inability to haul in Jalen Hurts’ easy pass bit the Birds in the butt.
To his credit, Barkley took full accountability following the game and made no excuses for his back-breaking mistake.
“I dropped the ball. I let my team down today. Shouldn’t have the defense in that position. Game’s over,” Barkley said. “I thought it was a great play call. I just gotta make the catch.”
Earlier in the game, DeVonta Smith opened the scoring for the Eagles, catching a seven-yard touchdown pass from Hurts in the second quarter. The Falcons quickly responded as wide receiver Darnell Mooney hauled in a 42-yard touchdown.
Hurts added another touchdown on the ground to extend the Eagles lead, but it was London who played the role of hero, completing the Falcons comeback.
(Although his idiotic post-touchdown celebration led to a crucial penalty which pushed the go-ahead extra point attempt back to a 48-yarder.)
Returning home following their season-opening win over the Packers in Brazil, Philadelphia was ready to explode.
The excitement and anticipation were sky-high as Eagles fans were anxious to officially turn the page from the disastrous 2023 season.
However, the concerns last night – from the questionable coaching, to Hurts’ passing inaccuracy, to the poor line play – leads many to think that the 2022 Super Bowl season was a complete aberration.
Now siting at 1-1, the Eagles will attempt to regroup and get things back on track when they visit the red-hot New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday.
What are your thoughts on the nightmare loss last night?
Should Eagles fans be concerned that the team is in-store for yet another disappointing season?
Just how alarming is Hurts’ inconsistency? … Are we absolutely convinced that he is a true franchise quarterback???