Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith cost his team a win with the worst drop of the season on Sunday.
Smith had the chance to all but ice a crucial win for the Eagles over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. on Sunday. Smith was wide open on 3rd and 5 just before the two-minute warning, and quarterback Kenny Pickett found him wide open over the middle.
Somehow, despite no defender near him, Smith bobbled and dropped the past, costing Philadelphia a first down.
DeVonta Smith how do you drop that??
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 22, 2024
Had Smith made the catch, the Eagles would have had a new set of downs at the two minute warning. The Commanders had only one timeout left, so the game would have effectively been over. Instead, they had to settle for a field goal, which they made, but had to give the ball back to Washington with a five-point lead. Jayden Daniels promptly led the Commanders downfield for a go-ahead touchdown with six seconds left, and the Eagles lost the game.
Smith’s drop not only led to a loss, but the defeat was a huge blow to Philadelphia’s hopes of landing the top seed in the NFC. The Detroit Lions won in Chicago, and the Eagles’ loss means Philadelphia is now a game behind Detroit in the standings once again, and the Lions are likely to hold the tiebreaker based on conference record. The Lions could still lose the NFC North to the Minnesota Vikings, but with tiebreakers involved, the NFC North winner is now heavily favored to have home field throughout the playoffs. The Eagles are highly likely to be the No. 2 seed instead.
Smith has six touchdowns on the season, but he has missed time with injury and failed to produce in moments like this. This latest drop will really sting given the circumstances.
