“Ball Was Heavier Than His Baby Hands”: Eagles Backup QB Kenny Pickett Becomes the Meme of the Week After Fumbling the Ball Without Contact

It took Kenny Pickett just one start this season in Philly to become the meme of the week. The former first-round pick made a hilarious blunder during the Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He appeared ready to make a throw before deciding at the last second to pull the ball down, only to go down with it.

Pickett fumbled the football on the play without any contact from the opposition. He then tumbled end over end and fell, but thankfully, his running back, Saquon Barkley, recovered the fumble.

The play ultimately didn’t matter because the Cowboys were penalized for illegal contact, negating the play and giving the Eagles five yards. However, fans didn’t let it go unnoticed. They went straight for Kenny’s head, some even his hands.

One fan came to Pickett’s defense amidst the sea of roasts that the Eagles QB had to endure.

Regardless of whether his hand was hit or not, anyone would admit that the motion Pickett displayed was quite funny. When he was being graded as a draft prospect, one point that was hammered into the ground was that Pickett had small hands. Larger hands might have helped him hold on to the ball and avoid this error.

Pickett’s hands were measured at 8 and a half inches from the bottom of his palm to the top of his middle finger. His hands come in as the smallest of any QB in the league, ranking just behind Taysom Hill’s 8 and three-quarters.

Maybe Pickett isn’t doing everything he can to make his hands as big as they can be. Former Bengals backup, Brandon Allen, also came into the league with 8-and-a-half-inch-sized hands. But he reportedly did hand stretches and exercises to get them to almost 9 inches by the time of the combine.

Nevertheless, Pickett led an Eagles squad into a matchup against a tumultuous Cowboys team. The rivalry may not have the same intensity as in years past, but it’s still a big one, and they responded accordingly this Sunday.

With a blowout 41-7 final score, the Eagles secured the victory. It feels like the Eagles still have a chance to grab the first seed and a first-round bye.

Let’s hope next week that Jalen Hurts is healthy and ready to play as the Eagles fight for playoff positioning. Pickett has done alright in his work so far as a backup, but he is not a good option as we’ve seen before in Pittsburgh.

Even though he was a later first-round pick, Pickett is still seen as a draft bust. He only lasted two years with the Steelers and has thrown as many touchdowns as interceptions in his career.