Kenny Pickett throwing himself instead of the ball broke the laws of physics in the best way

With Jalen Hurts recovering from a concussion, the Philadelphia Eagles have resorted to the unthinkable. To secure a No. 2 seed in the NFC postseason next month, the Eagles have had to lean on Kenny Pickett — an extremely fraught and dangerous prospect for most teams. (Shudders.)

Fortunately for the Eagles, the rest of their roster is good enough to hold up in the meantime. At least until the games start to really matter. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they’re still not immune to Pickett’s often vexing brain farts and absurd follies.

Take Pickett trying to rally Philadelphia against the rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. With the Eagles trying to generate some positive offensive momentum, Pickett dropped back on an early second-and-5 and somehow … threw himself into a sack-fumble.

I’m not making that up. That’s not a glitch in Madden.

It happened, it was so spectacular, and it was so Pickett:

Kenny Pickett pic.twitter.com/mxbhhcNNMk

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) December 29, 2024

I don’t even understand how this kind of play is possible. I mean, logically, I do. Football is about channeling grace, balance, and power all in one. We likely take for granted how these athletes make otherwise stupendous physical feats for regular people seem so routine. Like, say, throwing yourself instead of the ball and losing your balance. A good NFL quarterback doesn’t do that!

But that’s always been the thing about Kenny Pickett. As he tries (and fails) to revive his career in Philadelphia — after flaming out in the most predictable way in Pittsburgh — he is not like the other athletes in the NFL. Like everyone else, he’s closer to a guy, a sometimes careless person prone to inadvertent drowsy clumsiness at the stupidest and most inopportune times.

Regardless of what happens next in Pickett’s football life, I’m happy this play happened. It captures the essence of one of the NFL’s funnier quarterbacks to a tee.