‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’
Birds WR Takes Blame For Game-Turning Drop
LANDOVER, Md. – Much like the heart of Sunday’s seesaw tilt between the Commanders and Eagles, the final three minutes and change had a flair for the dramatic.
It called to mind the unbending, titular characters from the Terminator – or for a more recent reference, John Wick – as the Commanders proved to be immortal Sunday afternoon, clawing their way back to an improbable 36-33 win after it seemed their good fortune, on multiple occasions, had run dry.
The final dagger occurred with a tick over three minutes remaining. The Eagles were leading, 30-28, but the temperature of the crowd on hand at Northwest Stadium was that of confidence, as the Commanders seemingly had a counterpunch for every Philadelphia jab.
But at that moment, the visiting Eagles had the Commanders on the ropes, delivering what appeared to be the knockout punch.
Faced with a 3rd-and-5 from their own 40, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels rifled a pass into the teeth of the Eagles’ defense to wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
The pass never reached McCaffrey, the rookie from Rice, as cornerback Darius Slay provided blanket coverage, charging on the football and getting a hand in to send the ball in the air.
The ball hung in limbo before being plucked out of the air by safety Reed Blankenship for his fourth interception of the season.

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles WR DeVonta Smith, normally sure-handed, dropped a potential win-sealing pass.
Despite all the penalties, injuries, executional lapses and riding the backup quarterback, the Eagles were now positioned to escape with a narrow victory to clinch the NFC East and keep their hopes alive to capture the top seed in the conference.
Or so it seemed.
With possession at the Commanders 27-yard line, even an Eagles first down from an offense that had mustered only six points off five Washington turnovers with Kenny Pickett at the helm seemed like a slam dunk.
Pickett , who had replaced a concussed Jalen Hurts in the first quarter, had just connected with wide receiver A.J. Brown for an 8-yard strike along the right sideline, setting up a manageable 3rd-and-5.
Lined up inside, DeVonta Smith executed a clean release and had created space between him and Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.
Standing tall in the pocket, Pickett fired a perfectly placed pass right on the numbers, well beyond the line to gain. But, almost as if he was looking to turn upfield before securing the catch, Smith dropped the pass, which led to the Eagles settling for Jake Elliott’s 40-yard field goal.
It was a pass that Smith, possessing some the most secure hands in the game, reels in almost every time.
The throw from Pickett, who’d been spotty with ball placement, couldn’t have been better. The play design was perfect. The decision to throw it to one of the team’s best players in a high-leverage moment will never be second guessed.
But typical of the oddities that occurred throughout the game, Smith proved he was human.
“I just dropped the ball,” Smith said. “I mean, I ain’t gonna beat myself over it. It’s life. It’s part of the game. I made all the tough catches today, and then the easy one I had, I dropped.
“It is what it is. Charge it to the game. Ain’t nobody else’s fault but mine.”
There was no teaching point, coaching conversation or words of wisdom required for the stoic wideout.
In Smith’s case, a player who’d tallied numerous game-altering receptions throughout his football career, nothing more needed to be said.
When the stakes were highest, Smith of course wanted the football. A catch, for all intents and purposes, ices the game, but Smith has a short memory, acknowledging that the game was over and there’s nothing he can do about it to reverse the outcome.
That Pickett looked his way in crunch time, however, wasn’t lost on Smith.
“I was calling for it, and when they put it in my hands, I gotta make the god-damn play.”
Blemishes aside, Pickett delivered for the Eagles despite an early interception and haphazard pocket presence.
While you can point to a number of different blunders that contributed to the Eagles first loss since Sept. 29, it’s the uncharacteristic late-game drop from one of the team’s most prominent stars that’s sure to be a week-long talking point.
But don’t expect Pickett, if he needs to start next week, to waver or look elsewhere the next time a critical pass needs to be made.
“We wouldn’t be in the position in that game without him to begin with,” Pickett said. “He’s an unbelievable player. He knows that we’re gonna throw him the football, A.J., no matter what. There’s not an ounce of confidence lost in [No.] 6.”
– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.
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