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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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/devonta-smith-takes-accountability-crucial-120000193.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-12-23 12:00:00
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