On Second Thought: Eagles Should Have Played It Safe With Saquon

The Eagles' star RB has 16 drops since 2021.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Hindsight is easy and the idea that the Eagles should have played it safe with 1:46 left in Monday night’s 22-21 stunning loss to Atlanta is the low-hanging fruit for the over reactionary Tuesday morning quarterbacks.

The Falcons had just used their third timeout and Philadelphia was threatening on a third-and-3 from the Atlanta 10-yard line. 

Two consecutive Saqun Barkley runs, even if unsuccessful, conservatively drains 50 seconds on the clock and the Falcons would have taken the football over inside their own 10-yard line with 50-plus seconds to go the length of the field.

What unfolded was Kellen Moore playing the role of Roy McAvoy in the “Tin Cup” remake. Instead of laying up and playing it safe, Moore went for the hole and the win in the form of a short pass into the flat to the hot hand.

Barkley, who had rushed for 95 yards on 22 carries and added four receptions on four targets for another 21 yards, was alone in the flat with Jessie Bates desperately trying to close.

Understanding Moore’s job description is to put his players in advantageous positions and Barkley’s is to make plays, the former is the one who lived up to his expectation.  

Had Barkley finished a routine play, the Eagles not only win they do it with the fringe benefits of trusting one of their top playmakers to get it done in a high-leverage situation while also igniting a crowd that greeted the high-profile free-agent acquisition with a pre-game pop that rivaled Cody Rhodes coming out to face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

Instead, Barkley dropped the football, the clock stopped and Kirk Cousins needed only 65 seconds against Vic Fangio’s struggling defense to ruin Philadelphia’s night.

That's on Barkley and the always classy star took the responsibility.

"Dropped the ball. Let my team down. I shouldn't have put them in that position," Barkley admitted. "I need to make that catch. I need to relax. Go back to my old habits and get back to work."

Turns out, the old habits have been a problem in the past and perhaps a poor result should have been considered by Moore because the ill-fated play was Barkley’s 16th drop since 2021, the most of any running back in the NFL over that span.

That is one of the warts in Saquon Barkley's game. Tremendous player but that was his 16th drop since the start of the 2021 season, the most among running backs.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 17, 2024

It’s the coaching staff’s job to play the realism card and not get caught up in emotion or hyperbole.

Barkley is a big, powerful back who lives in the weight room and doesn’t have the upper-body flexibility of many lighter, shiftier backs. If he’s squared up, the hands are there but if there’s even slight flexion needed from the hips up, things can get muddy. 

Costly drop! @saquon Barkley can’t haul in the pass from Jalen Hurts.

The drop stopped the clock and the Eagles are forced to go for the FG.

HUGE MISTAKE BY 26. pic.twitter.com/JshkQPBdGK

— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) September 17, 2024

The Eagles should both understand the limitations of their personnel and always place the desired result above any ancillary benefits straying from that course may provide.

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