DeVonta Smith takes accountability for crucial drop vs. Commanders

DeVonta Smith takes accountability for crucial drop vs. Commanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LANDOVER, Md. — There wasn’t much for DeVonta Smith to say.

What else could he say?

“I just dropped the ball,” Smith said after the Eagles’ 36-33 loss to the Commanders on Sunday afternoon. “I ain’t gonna beat myself up over it. It’s life. It’s part of the game. I made all the tough catches today and the easiest one I had, I dropped. It is what it is. … Ain’t nobody else’s fault but mine.”

Should Smith have caught the football on a 3rd-and-5 pass from Kenny Pickett that would have all but iced the game in the fourth quarter?

Yeah, of course.

But that play was not the only reason the Eagles lost on Sunday. All three phases deserve blame for that L.

“Listen, we wouldn’t be in that position in that game without him to begin with,” said quarterback Kenny Pickett, who replaced a concussed Jalen Hurts in the first half. “He’s an unbelievable player. He knows that we’re going to throw him the football, and A.J. (Brown), no matter what. There’s not an ounce of confidence lost in 6.”

It’s just that Smith’s play came with 2:07 left in the game. And if he makes that catch — a play he makes 99 out of 100 times — the Eagles likely leave Northwest Stadium with a win and an 11-game winning streak intact.

Entering Sunday’s game, the normally sure-handed Smith had just 3 drops on 71 targets this season, according to ProFootballFocus.

“I just dropped the ball,” Smith said. “Ain’t no teaching on it. Catch the ball. Simple.”

The pass Smith dropped came on a 3rd-and-5 from the Washington 22-yard line with just 2:07 left and the Eagles up 30-28. If Smith held on to the perfect pass from Pickett, the Eagles would have had the first down and they would have pretty much been able to ice the game. Instead, they kicked a field goal and then, after a bad kickoff, let the Commanders drive down the field for a game-winning touchdown.

This drop felt an awful lot like Saquon Barkley’s drop against the Falcons that led to a loss way back in Week 2.

Barkley’s drop against the Falcons came with just 1:46 left in the game. The Eagles kicked a field goal on fourth down and then Kirk Cousins led a game-winning drive on the ensuing possession. Sound familiar?

While it’s probably unfair to look at it like this, some would argue the Eagles are two key drops away from being 14-1.

“I don’t need to give words to Smitty,” Barkley said. “Smitty is a hell of a player. Again, as athletes wanting to be great, he’s probably going to try to put the responsibility on himself. In that moment [against] Atlanta, I put the responsibility on myself.

“But in reality, it’s a team game. There were a lot of plays that every single body could have made, whether it’s offense, whether it’s defense, whether it’s special teams. He knows we got his back. We’re going to just move on and get ready for Dallas and finish the season off strong.”

Before that crucial drop, Smith had 6 catches on 7 targets for 51 yards. He and Brown combined for 23 of 28 Eagles targets on Sunday in a game where the starting quarterback was concussed in the first quarter.

Even though he wasn’t able to make the play, Smith appreciated that the Eagles went to him in such a crucial moment. And they won’t hesitate to do it again.

“Yeah, for sure. I was calling for it,” Smith said. “And when they put it in my hands, I got to make the play.”