Eagles' Kenneth Gainwell 'made mistake' with social media reply at halftime

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said running back Kenneth Gainwell "knows he made a mistake" by responding to a negative comment on social media during halftime of Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.

"Should he respond to somebody that's DM'ing him? No, he shouldn't respond to that guy or that girl at all," Sirianni said. "And so, yes of course we talked to him about that, to be locked in and focused and not worried about outside noise. He knows he made a mistake responding back to that person."

Gainwell, a third-year back out of Memphis, lost a fumble at the Commanders' 3-yard line midway through the second quarter.

A halftime exchange between he and a fan was circulated on social media during the game in which the fan used an expletive and told Gainwell to "hold on to the football," to which Gainwell responded, "Lil boy don't text me."

Gainwell finished with 26 yards on seven touches in the 38-31 victory. Part of a backfield rotation led by D'Andre Swift, Gainwell has 153 rushing yards and a touchdown on the season.

The Eagles lost two fumbles inside the 3-yard line Sunday, joining the 2022 Denver Broncos as the only teams to lose multiple fumbles inside the 3 since 2000.

"Kenny had a fumble this week, but he had an unbelievable run the week before against Miami," Sirianni said. "I still have a lot of faith in these guys, and I still have a lot of faith in Kenny."