3 Eagles to blame for unforgivably blowing MNF vs. the Falcons

It appeared as if the Atlanta Falcons had lost their entire season. That's how bad falling to 0-2 would've been for that team. They signed Kirk Cousins expecting him to lead them to great things right now, and when they needed him most, the $180 million man came through.

The Falcons pulled off a stunning comeback with Cousins leading a clutch touchdown drive on prime time to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. With that win, both the Falcons and the Eagles are now 1-1.

It was a great win for the Falcons, but it was an even more embarrassing loss for an Eagles team that had this game won. Poor late-game execution cost them, and they have nobody but themselves to blame. These individuals, in particular, should receive a majority of the backlash for what just transpired at Lincoln Financial Field.

3) One play alone is enough to blame Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley was the star of the show in their Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers. He had a good game against Atlanta statistically, rushing for 95 yards on the ground and even chipping in with 21 receiving yards on five receptions. All things considered, 116 yards from scrimmage isn't bad, but one play he did not make could've ended the game. He did not make it.

After getting a huge stop late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles took possession of the football with a chance to seal the game. They took possession with 5:38 remaining and were able to convert a pair of first downs, winding down the clock and giving them the chance to tack onto their lead. With 1:46 to go, the Eagles had a choice. They could've run the ball to at the very least wind down more clock and hope to convert another first down, or throw the ball, risking the clock stopping but perhaps giving them a better chance at getting the first down.

The Eagles elected to throw it, and it appeared that the team had a first down, until they didn't. Barkley dropped potentially the easiest pass he'll ever see, forcing the Eagles to kick a field goal. Jake Elliot made it, but as we all found out, they left way too much time on the clock.

Some blame can be handed to Sirianni for choosing to pass the football instead of running it with Barkley or even Hurts, but c'mon. He has to catch this football. That catch almost certainly would've ended the game. Instead, the Eagles are now 1-1.

2) Nick Sirianni's clock management was less than stellar

Barkley dropping that pass was enough to get him blamed, but can we ask the question of why that was allowed to happen to begin with?

The Eagles were at Atlanta's 10-yard line after killing nearly four minutes of clock and were a first down from essentially icing the game. It was third down and three, and the Eagles had two of the most dynamic rushers in the league on the field in Barkley and Hurts. Sirianni instead chose to throw the ball without his No. 1 receiver, A.J. Brown, and paid the price.

Even if Barkley, Hurts, or whoever they handed the ball to failed to record the first down in that spot, the Eagles could've killed way more clock and taken their three points. Remember, the Falcons were out of timeouts. They would've had to rush up the field in less than one minute to try and win the game. They might've done it, but who knows?

Instead, Sirianni took a very unnecessary risk by throwing it on third down. Yes, the catch should've been made and the Eagles still should've won, but the call should've been different from the start. That is on Sirianni.

1) Vic Fangio's defense crumbled when they were needed most

The drop stunk. The clock management was extremely poor. The defense to end the game, though? What are we doing here, Philly?

All the Eagles had to do was prevent a touchdown in the final 1:39 to win the game. It didn't have to be pretty, just keep them out of the end zone. Instead, six plays and a little over a minute of game time passed by, and the Falcons, without a timeout, had taken the lead. Remarkable.

It was clear from the start of the drive that new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was content setting his defense up in prevent and allowing the Falcons to take anything that didn't involve them chucking the ball downfield.

Cousins completed three straight passes to get the Falcons from their own 30 all the way down to Philadelphia's 12-yard line giving them an actual chance to win. They did that without calling a single timeout and without burning a full minute of game time because the Eagles simply let them.

Three plays later, the Drake London had caught what would end up being the game-winning touchdown. Despite his best efforts to sabotage the extra point, Atlanta would convert the kick giving them the lead and eventual win.

The Eagles were basically begging the Falcons to make things interesting when by using a little bit of pressure, they might've been able to get a stop. Playing prevent helped prevent the Falcons from launching it down field, but allowed them to get into prime position to score a touchdown without the luxury of being able to stop the clock. That should have never happened.

Philadelphia's secondary had to be better, especially on the London catch, but again, they weren't exactly set up to succeed in the final drive.