As 1:46 minutes remained on the clock, the Eagles held a slender 3-point lead over the Falcons. This would have brought them the second win of the season. However, it didn’t go according to the plan, as RB Saquon Barkley’s costly error presented the visiting team with an opener. Pouncing on that slimmest of chance, the Falcons managed to pull off a stunning 22-21 victory in Philadelphia.

Although Barkley was rightfully criticised for his mistakes, last night’s match had bigger flaws for the Eagles. As pointed out by former Eagles LB Seth Joyner on the WIP Morning Show, “They have a major, major problem on the defensive side of the football. You cannot be a football team that can’t stop the run and a football team that can’t rush the passer.” Looking back at the game, it might be true, as the Eagles’ defense struggled mightily against the Falcons.

Kirk Cousins rubbed salt into the wound of the Eagles when he led a match-winning 70-yard scoring drive. At the end of which, Cousins found Falcons WR Drake London, who capped off the move by scoring a touchdown. With 43 seconds left on the clock, the Eagles did try to mount a last-second comeback.

However, it wasn’t their night, as Falcons safety Jessie Bates intercepted the Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ end zone pass. This helped Atlanta maintain their slender 1-point lead, thereby handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. Although the Eagles’ pass rushers couldn’t get a hold of the game, the safeties showed the problem they have on their defense.

When the Falcons supposedly led a game-changing drive, Reed Blankenship was left hanging by Ray Ray McCloud. Well, on the same drive itself, Falcons WR Darnell Mooney won a duel against C.J. Gardner Johnson, who couldn’t put in a tackle that led to Mooney scoring a TD. Vin Fangio, who was brought in to fix the Eagles’ pass defense that ranked 31st last season in the NFL, has a lot to work on. But as the Falcons took home the game, it was Saquon Barkley who faced the heat and wrath of fans all over social media.

Saquon Barkley gets trolled by the NFL community

Playing his first game for the Eagles in Philadelphia, Barkley was supposed to make headlines on the night. However, the former Giants’ RB found himself on the wrong side of praises as his error late into the game cost the Eagles a consecutive victory. Moments after the match finished, negative comments started coming towards the 27-year-old.

As one of the fans wrote, “Saquon Barkley losing games for the Eagles puts a smile on my face.” Reading this comment, we could probably say it was a Giants fan putting salt on the wound. Elsewhere, another fan wrote, “Saquon Barkley costing his team games in Philadelphia. A familiar feeling.” Well, this might be coming after Barkley failed to ever win a game in Philadelphia during his six-year tenure with the Giants.

This was Barkley’s 16th drop since the 2021 season, which shows his gaps on the night. However, the Eagles RB did apologize for the mistake, “I dropped the football. I let my team down today. The defense should not have been put in that position. It sucks.” Although the two-time Pro Bowler ended his home debut with four catches for 21 receiving yards and 95 rushing yards. It was not enough to mask his error in Philadelphia.

Will the Eagles manage to sort out the potholes in their defense as the season progresses? Or gaps in their back lines continue to be exploited like the Falcons did on the night. Only time will tell as the new NFL season heats up.