Nick Sirianni let Saquon Barkley take the blame for Eagles gross loss to Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni approved a questionable call on third down late in the fourth quarter up by a score. Sirianni was in favor of a pass, called by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, which would have iced the game. Jalen Hurts was only to throw the ball if the receiver was wide open.

A play which was meant to be an easy pitch and catch was instead a nightmare for Philly, as running back Saquon Barkley dropped the ball and froze the clock, leaving just enough time for Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons to drive down the field for a game-winning drive.

Hurts spoke with Barkley after the game, as any true leader would. Barkey, a veteran in the NFL and formerly of the New York Giants, took the blame postgame by his locker in comments made to the media. He did not shy away from criticism.

“I let my team down today. Shouldn’t have put the defense in that position,” Barkley told reporters after the loss. “Make that catch and the game is over.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni shouldn't have let Saquon Barkley take the blame

We applaud Barkley for falling on the sword, but he was far from the only player or personnel to blame for the Eagles loss. They had many chances to expand their lead despite a shorthanded core of weapons, as Philly was without AJ Brown on Monday.

Sirianni refused to take accountability for Philadelphia's loss. Typically, head coaches tend to deflect blame away from their players, making coach-speak comments like "it all falls on me" or "at the end of the day, I am to blame." However, Sirianni did the opposite.

So, Sirianni defended the play call and the pass, but not Barkley for dropping the ball. While there has been tension between Sirianni and Hurts in the past -- and one can certainly understand the need for Sirianni to defend his quarterback and coordinator from rabid Philly fans -- giving them an easy target in Barkley isn't a win by any means. Saquon is a former rival and just finished his second game with the team. And frankly, calling a passing play to Barkley in that situation was dumb to begin with.

Barkley has the most drops among NFL running backs since the start iof the 2021 season. He's not a reliable threat in the passing game unless he gets the ball in his hands, which based on Monday night (and numerous times since then) is far from a guarantee. The Eagles ought to know that better than anyone, given their front office signed him in the first place, and he previously played for a division rival.