Saquon Barkley 'dropped the ball' in Eagles loss: 'I let my team down'

Coach Nick Sirianni was annoyed by the decision to throw on the third attempt instead of running with the ball, thus taking 40 seconds off the clock.

“They played a certain defense and broke everything in the middle, so we tried to get around the outside, but that didn't work,” Sirianni said.

According to NFL Research, the Eagles had a 98.5% chance of winning before Barkley's drop.

“I trust (Barkley) to make a play every day of the week, just like anybody else,” Hurts said. “We're going to get better because of it. It's not about expectations, it's about just executing what's said. And in that moment, we failed.”

Barkley rushed for 95 yards on 22 carries in his first game in Philadelphia with the Eagles and caught four of five passes for 21 yards. That one drop was fatal, but it wasn't the only reason Philadelphia lost.

The defense could no longer stop Bijan Robinson – or slow him down beforehand. Hurts managed a forced interception in the final seconds, when there was still time to get within field goal range, reminiscent of many late mistakes from the dismal end of 2023.

Last year, Sirianni and the Eagles found themselves in a slump after things started to go wrong. How will they respond to their first real challenge in 2024, with the Saints and Buccaneers on 2-0 losing streaks?