5 reasons Saquon Barkley can't be blamed for Eagles collapse vs. the Falcons

The Philadelphia Eagles really did this on Nick Foles night! No... For real! They really did this on Nick Foles night! Saquon Barkley was awesome, but the lasting image of his home debut will forever be a dropped pass on a third-down attempt.

Everyone says what you would expect. Saquon said he has to catch the ball. Jalen Hurts says he trusts Saquon Barkley, and he says the team will learn from this.

But, this was a game Philly was expected to win (and a game that they should have won). Still, whoever you blame for this gut-wrenching loss, don't blame Saquon for dropping the pass.

Here are five reasons why.

1. If not, for Saquon Barkley, the Eagles would have lost this game convincingly.

Saquon walked into Lincoln Financial Field for the first time as one of the good guys, and he stacked 95 yards on 22 carries. He also hauled in four passes for 21 yards. It's hard to blame this collapse and loss on him.

Sure, he had the drop, but he also threw a block to spring Jalen Hurts so QB1 could find DeVonta Smith for a key conversion. Later on, he lowered his shoulder for a conversion of his own. Philly isn't in position to win this game late if not for his efforts.

2. Why in the heck did the Eagles eschew that easy field goal on the second offensive drive?

In any NFL game, there's always the chance that points can be hard to come by. Philly can't eschew an early field goal with one of the game's best kickers.

On their second offensive drive, Philadelphia drove deep into Falcons territory. Jalen Hurts threw consecutive incompletions needing four yards to convert on third and fourth down.

Sure, we'd be praising them had the idea worked, but it didn't. The Falcons wound up punting five plays later, but we still would have loved to see Jake Elliott and a 3-0 Eagles lead early.

3. Where is this genius we keep hearing about in the defensive coordinator's chair?

Vic Fangio hasn't been impressive. His defense looks porous. In Week 1, he gave up 29 points to the Green Bay Packers. In Week 2, his unit gave up 22 at home to an Atlanta team that couldn't get anything done versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Vic offers an interesting press conference, but we'd rather see an interesting game plan. We're not seeing the 'genius' we were promised.

Despite Saquon's drop, Philly held a six-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. You'd like to think a genius coordinator with all of the talent he has on defense could get a stop at home with the game on the line.

4. The Eagles are getting nothing from their pass rush.

Where is Bryce Huff? Where is Josh Sweat? Where are Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis? Where is this Eagles pass rush?

Zack Baun tallied the only two sacks in Week 1. Milton Williams racked up the only Eagles sack in Week 2. Huff didn't crack the sheet with a single stat in this one, and to make matters worse, Pro Football Focus credits the Eagles with six missed tackles in this one. Six players missed at least one tackle.

5. Philly continues to make Kirk Cousins look like Joe Montana.

Why can't the Philadelphia Eagles beat Kirk Cousins? No, for real. We realize they have beaten him. A pair of recent home-opening wins over the Minnesota Vikings come to mind, but the Birds always seem to lose to him. He now owns a 7-5 record over Philly, and each time he has taken the measure of the Philadelphia Eagles, there has been a sick feeling in our collective stomachs.

This loss might be the most deflating. Maybe it isn't, but it's hard to remember a worse one right now. Philly continues to make him look like Joe Montana, and the worst part is he wasn't even healthy.