Pros put stuff like dropped passes behind them. Quickly.
Saquon Barkley did it against the Falcons in Week 2 when the Eagles running back dropped a wide-open pass that would have sealed the win. Instead, Atlanta came back to win, 22-21, on a touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in the game.
DeVonta Smith did it last week when the Eagles receiver dropped a wide-open pass that would have sealed a win over the Commanders and won the NFC East. Instead, Washington came back to win 36-33 on a touchdown pass with six seconds left in the game.
“That’s part of the game,” said Smith on Friday. “The game’s gonna come with ups and downs. You can’t let something like that get you down, you can’t let something like that affect how you go about your business and things like that. The minute that happened, I was over it. There was nothing I could do about it.”
All he can do is help the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Sunday (1 p.m./FOX) in the second chance to win the division title.
Smith’s approach this week did not change.
“I go out and do the same thing I do every week,” he said. “You drop a pass, that’s part of the game. You’re going to have ups and downs in a game. No game is ever perfect. I take my same approach. There’s nothing to it aside from catching the ball.”
What stuck out about it is, Smith never drops a ball. Not passes that hit him in the hands with nobody near him. Not even throws that require him to contort and twist his body in such a way that only contortionists should be allowed to do, not NFL receivers.
Smith, fellow receiver A.J. Brown, and any other player that gets the ball thrown is way cannot afford to drop a pass on Sunday with backup Kenny Pickett playing in place of Jalen Hurts, who was ruled out on Friday with a concussion.
“Just go out there and make the plays,” said Smith. “I think the more we make plays in the receiver room, the more comfortable he’s going to be.”
Added Brown: “For sure, I think everybody takes on that responsibility (of being on their ‘A’ game) as a whole, as an offense. (Pickett) doesn’t just have to lean on me. He has to lean on all the guys. So, we’re definitely trying to get him up to speed, make sure he’s as comfortable as possible.”
