On Sunday evening, the Philadelphia Eagles bounced back from their loss last week to the Seattle Seahawks, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 to win the NFC East crown.
However, their division clinching win came at a cost as the Eagles lost starting quarterback and MVP candidate Carson Wentz to a torn left ACL, ending his 2017 season. When Wentz went down in the third quarter, a panic and nervousness set in as Eagles fans wondered if their star quarterback would come back.
Over the past two seasons, Eagles fans became used to seeing Wentz scramble out of the pocket and use his mobility to pick up extra yards. Sometimes, he was able to get out of bounds, and other times Wentz took unnecessary hits.
This time around, Wentz was not able to come back from one of those hits, which left backup Nick Foles to take over.
Foles made his return to Philadelphia this offseason, after having a lackluster 2015 season in St. Louis and backing up Alex Smith in Kansas City last season. The six-year veteran is most famously known in Philly sports folklore for having a 27 touchdown and two interception season in 2013, coincidentally taking over for an injured Michael Vick.
Every pass Foles threw that season struck gold. He was dialed in, making the correct read to his wide receivers in DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper, and leaning on a running game which featured LeSean McCoy.
Foles’s out of this world play in 2013 helped the Eagles not only clinch the NFC East, but also host a Wild Card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.
If you remember that game, Foles drove the team down the field and found tight end Zach Ertz for a three-yard touchdown reception, putting the Eagles ahead 26-24 with 4:58 left in the game. But we all know what happened next; the Eagles’ defense and special teams did not do their job, and the Saints won on a game-winning field goal to advance to the next round.
Fast forward to this season, and Foles finds himself in the same situation as he was in 2013. He is replacing the team’s starting quarterback, has weapons at the wide receiver position, and has a strong running game.
The only differences between now and four years ago is that he has a strong defense to play behind, and the Eagles have already clinched the division.
Nevertheless, the Eagles have bigger goals to accomplish this season, and it falls on Foles’s shoulder to get the job done. In these next three games, Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich must design a game plan to help Foles become a comfortable and confident quarterback.
Against the Rams, Foles looked shaky, stepping into a rabid environment, but still got the job done. With less than two minutes to go in the game, Foles made a key throw to wide receiver Nelson Agholor in a tight window on third down to seal the win.
The Eagles don’t need Foles to be Wentz. They just need him to be the ‘best quarterback’ that he can be. No, that does not mean returning to the 27/2 Foles. That season was an anomaly, and should be cherished as much.
With that being said, we all know it will be tough to replace an MVP-caliber quarterback who has thrown 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 3,296 yards and completed 60.2 of his passes.
However, if you take a look at the NFC playoff picture, there is nothing really for the Eagles to be scared about.
This season, the Eagles have proven that they can beat the Rams and Carolina Panthers on the road. Granted, that was with Wentz at the helm, but the Eagles’ defense made plays in both games to help achieve victory.
Then you have the New Orleans Saints, who are going to be a tough out in the playoffs as Drew Brees is playing lights out, has a dynamic rookie running back in Alvin Kamara, and a defense which has improved.
Finally, there is the Minnesota Vikings, who almost mirrors the Eagles’ current situation. The Vikings are led by quarterback Case Keenum who is not asked to do much on offense but just make the smart play and give his defense a chance.
If there’s a formula that the Eagles need to follow, it’s that one. Put Foles in a position to succeed, and everything should fall into place for the Eagles as they try to complete their overall mission of playing in early February.
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