While Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni bemoaned a last-minute loss, cornerback Darius Slay explained a critical penalty. Also, Kenny Pickett calmed concerns about a potential rib injury during the loss to the Commanders, according to a post on X by Brooks Kubena.
“Kenny Pickett is not concerned about his status going forward — in the possibility he’ll have to play next week. Kenny Pickett says he was X-rayed for a rib injury. Says it happened when he got the ball out on what was initially called a fumble. He’ll be checked out more tomorrow.”
Jayden Daniels got the ball when the clock read 1:58, and he found Jamison Crowder in the end zone with six seconds left. That fifth touchdown pass of the game gave the Commanders a stunning 36-33 comeback victory Sunday. It ended the Eagles’ winning streak at 10 game.
Eagles QB Kenny Pickett nursing rib injury
Pickett seemed to secure the Eagles victory when he delivered a third-down strike to DeVonta Smith. However, a dropped pass opened the door for the Commanders and they barged in and stole the victory.
Smith didn’t make excuses, according to delawareonline.com.
“I dropped the ball,” Smith said. “I mean, I ain’t going to beat myself up over it. It’s life, part of the game. I made all the tough catches today, and the easy one I had, I dropped. It (cost) us the game. Ain’t nobody else’s fault but mine.”
The dropped fit the narrative for a game the Eagles should have won, said Sirianni,
Sirianni said the Eagles didn’t perform in a tidy way, according to a post on X by Zach Berman.
“Just sloppy,” Sirianni said. “Sloppy with penalties, (and) sloppy with too many men on the field. Sloppy with our fundamentals. When you play a good football team like we played today and you’re sloppy… it’s going to be hard to win. I said to those guys, ‘When it’s sloppy with every piece of that, it’s always going to be on me as the head coach.”
The Eagles somehow lost a game where the opponent turned the ball over five times, including one in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
But credit also has to go to the Commanders, who made the plays when they needed them the most. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels said the Commanders knew how good the Eagles can be, according to espn.com.
“You got those guys that came in on the win streak they were on, they were hot and they’re a very good team — rightfully so, good offense, good defense, all-around well-prepared team and you want to go out there and see where you match up against those type of guys,” Daniels said.
“I live those type of situations when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made, that’s what you live for. If you really love this sport, you live for those big-time moments where it comes down to the end.”
