The Philadelphia Eagles held a two-point lead just before the two-minute warning of a wild matchup with NFC East rivals Washington, needing just a first down to effectively seal the division title with two days to go.
With a fateful 3rd and 5 upcoming, head coach Nick Sirianni placed his trust in backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who delivered a strike to DeVonta Smith that hit the star receivers hands, his helmet, and ultimately the Northwest Stadium turf.
His brutal drop cost the Eagles a first down deep in Commanders territory with two-minutes remaining, instead forced to settle for a Jake Elliott. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' promptly marched down the field and fired a game-winning touchdown strike with 10 seconds left, and Smith made no excuses for his ultimately decisive drop.
"I just dropped the ball, there is nothing I can do about it now. I was calling for the ball," Smith said after the game. "When Kenny put it in my hands I have to make the God d**n play."
Such a heartbreaking loss for Eagles fans hardly appeared possibly through the early stages of Sunday's game, as Philadelphia's defense began the game with a turnover on downs and a subsequent fumble recovery. The Eagles offense, meanwhile, capitalized on a pair of short fields with two incisive touchdown drives, taking a 14-0 lead inside of eight minutes.
However, the ladder drive saw Jalen Hurts saw exit the contest after sustaining a major hit on a quarterback scramble, ultimately diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out for the remainder of the game. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett capped off the scoring movement with a passing touchdown to AJ Brown but squandered his first full possession with a costly interception, allowing Washington up off the mat with a four-play trip to the end zone. Saquon Barkley and Terry McLaurin traded explosive scoring touchdowns in the second quarter, giving Philadelphia a 21-14 lead at halftime, and despite Washington's five total turnovers, a mostly masterful performance from Daniels kept Washington in position for a clutch late-game drive.
It's an aggravatingly familiar game script for Eagles fans, with Barkley dropping a game-sealing first down reception during Philadelphia's Week 2 loss against Atlanta. The Eagles' loss Sunday drops them to 12-3 on the season, delivering a huge blow to their dreams of a No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, as they look to wrap up the division next weekend against Dallas.
