Peyton and Eli Manning could not believe Saquon Barkley dropped that ball.
The Eagles led the Falcons 18-15 with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter of their “Monday Night Football” matchup, and with Atlanta out of timeouts a first down from third-and-3 would have iced the game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a ball to Barkley that was perfectly placed to gain a first down, but Barkley took his eye off it for a split second and dropped the pass as Philadelphia had to settle for a field goal.
When the ball dropped to the field, the Manning brothers were beside themselves on ESPN2’s “ManningCast” simulcast.
Eli just put his hands over his head in stunned silence.
Peyton had to get up and pace around the room before explaining that Hurts placed the throw perfectly for Barkley.
A general motif in the “ManningCast” telecasts is Peyton rooting for the offense on both sides, and taking exception with anybody who lets his quarterback down.
The two brothers, as well as guest Matt Ryan, the former long-time Falcons quarterback, were all in agreement that it was a bad decision for the Eagles to throw the ball in that situation and risk a clock stoppage.
The Eagles settled for a field goal to take a 21-15 lead.
Lo and behold, Kirk Cousins marched the Falcons up the field, throwing a touchdown pass to Drake London to secure a 22-21 victory.
The Falcons clinched the victory when Hurts threw an interception on the ensuing Eagles drive.