On Sunday, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s worst drop of the season cost his team a crucial win over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover,
Md. Smith was wide open on 3rd and 5 just before the two-minute warning, and quarterback Kenny Pickett found him over the middle. However, Smith bobbled and dropped the pass despite no defenders near him.
Had Smith completed the catch, the Eagles would have had a fresh set of downs at the two-minute warning. The Commanders had only one timeout remaining,
therefore the game would have effectively ended. Instead, they had to settle for a field goal, which they made but had to hand the ball back over to Washington with a five-point advantage. Jayden Daniels soon led the Commanders downfield for the game-winning score with six seconds remaining, and the Eagles were defeated.
Smith’s drop not only resulted in a loss, but it also dealt a significant setback to Philadelphia’s chances of securing the top seed in the NFC.
The Detroit Lions won at Chicago, and the Eagles’ loss puts Philadelphia back a game behind Detroit in the standings, with the Lions presumably holding the tiebreaker based on conference record.
The Lions might still lose the NFC North to the Minnesota Vikings, but with tiebreakers in place, the NFC North champion is now overwhelmingly expected to have home field throughout the playoffs. Instead, the Eagles are most likely to be the second seed.
Smith has six touchdowns this season, but he has missed time due to injuries and has struggled to produce in clutch situations. Given the conditions, this recent decline will have a significant impact.