There were two choices for Saquon Barkley – meet a large group of reporters around his locker after Monday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons or skip the session and meet another time. It is always a tough choice for an athlete in a difficult time, in an emotional environment just minutes – literally – after dropping a game that was there for the taking.

Football is a game that is fueled by intensity and by focus and by competition and desire to succeed, above all else. Sometimes, it just doesn't go your way, and facing that disappointment is certainly not the easiest thing to do.

For Barkley, though, it was a simple decision: He showed accountability. He answered every question about the third-and-3 play late in the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field when quarterback Jalen Hurts put a pass on Barkley's fingertips and Barkley – who had been brilliant to that point – couldn't hang on.

And instead of a first down and a chance to run out the clock and preserve a three-point lead on the way to victory, the Eagles turned to placekicker Jake Elliott for a 28-yard field goal and a six-point lead that, as you know, didn't hang on.

Atlanta drove 70 yards in six plays and scored the winning points and what appeared to be a hard-fought win turned into a loss.

And a throng of reporters that would have been asking questions about Barkley's dominating performance instead crowded in front of Barkley's locker wanting to know what happened on the missed opportunity.

"I dropped the ball. I let my team down today, shouldn't happen," Barkley said. "I was in position to make that catch, game over.

"I thought it was a great play call. I just gotta make that catch."

The disappointment was obvious.

"It definitely sucks. Any loss sucks, but the game comes down to a few plays, and it hurts a little more when you're the one who makes a mistake on that play," Barkley added.

This is called accountability, and it is one of Head Coach Nick Sirianni's core values and, ultimately, it is one of the most difficult to weave into the daily mindset. But it is a critical one for leaders, and Barkley is certainly one of the leaders in this Eagles' locker room.

Making the mistake is one thing and it happens to every person, every player. Owning up to it is another thing entirely, and Barkley stepped right up and showed the kind of person he is. One game earlier, he was the same way, showering his teammates with praise after a three-touchdown game in Brazil as the Eagles opened the season with a win over the Green Bay Packers.

This is how the game works: You stay humble. You work hard. You accept coaching and you understand that you are only as good as your next play.

And Barkley's teammates took notice.

"It's football, you can't fault a guy for making one mistake," safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. "It's other things that led to the loss. You can't fault one guy."

All across the solemn, frustrated locker room were players bearing the brunt of responsibility for their part in the result, from veterans like Bryce Huff and Darius Slay to rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

Barkley is a star running back and he is going to have many, many great moments in his Eagles career. What he did after Monday night's game will serve as an example to the rest of the locker room that no matter the outcome, accountability and maturity are important.

"I can sit here and complain and be upset about it, or I could be a professional athlete and go back to the drawing board and take the lick and move on to get better from it," Barkley said. "I've made that play multiple times. I missed that play before, too. I just gota be better. I let my team down. I gotta man up to it. I gotta own it, which I'm doing. I promise those guys in that locker room that'll be better from it."

There is a lesson in every game and this is one to remember for every player and every person on this team: When things don't go your way, step up and take responsibility. Barkley gains enormous respect for the way he handled an extremely difficult situation and it is a guidepost for the entire team as the Eagles regroup on a short week and head to New Orleans to play the 2-0 Saints on Sunday.

Philadelphia had a win in its grasp on Monday night and it slipped away, ever so painfully. The best way to turn that negative into a positive is to do what Barkley did after the game: Stand tall, chin up, look in the mirror, and work to be better the next time out.