As an Eagles fan the last few days have been an emotional roller coaster. I was in attendance along with a large number of family members to witness a gutty performance from Carson Wentz as he threw his final pass of the season, a go ahead TD on the road against a top NFC team, all while on a blown out ACL. The man is the definition of a warrior and was having a MVP season, so certainly losing him is a huge blow. However Foles is at the very least a competent backup and there is a chance the Eagles can still remain competitive.
1. The Suspect NFC QB Class
Now that the MVP Carson Wentz’s season has been unfortunately cut short there certainly are some suspect QBs left in the NFC Playoff picture.
- Case Keenum – Another QB with a sub .500 record as a starter at 17-18. Sure he’s having a career year, but the Panthers just highlighted his inability to handle the blitz and hell Mike Zimmer doesn’t even believe in him.
- Jared Goff – A second year QB with a career 9-11 record as a starter would certainly be concerning in a road playoff scenario. Especially one in cold weather which the California boy has little experience dealing with.
- Drew Brees – Nick Foles is nowhere near as good Drew Brees, however Brees is having a down year by his standards. The Saints offense has been succeeding thanks to their running game.
- Cam Newton – Has there been any QB more hot and cold than former MVP Cam Newton? 17 TDs and 12 INTs don’t really strike fear into the heart of any defense, especially considering three of those INTs came against the Eagles.
- Matt Ryan – Matt Ryan has been having a similar season as Cam Newton as he struggles to find the same success he had with Mike Shanahan. Ryan’s 64.5 QBR this season is the lowest number in his ten year career.
2. He Has Playoff Experience
It may only be one game experience but Nick Foles started a playoff game for the Eagles at home in 2013 completing 69.7% of his passes for 195 yards two TDs and zero INTs. It’s easy to forget in their 26-24 loss to the Saints that Foles drove down in the fourth quarter for the go ahead touchdown to put the Eagles up 24-23. The game was lost on the ensuing kickoff return and horse collar penalty that made a game winning FG all too easy, which disappointed Eagles fans and this one in particular.
3. Home Field Advantage
Right now the Eagles are the #1 seed and if they can maintain that in these final three games that makes Nick Foles job that much easier. Especially when you look at the current NFC landscape and see that three teams are dome teams (MIN, ATL & NO) and two are warm weather teams (LA & CAR).
4. The Dude Was A Pro-Bowler As Recent As 2013
Sure it’s easy to discredit his 27-2 season as some fluke, but come on give the guy props. This is more an excuse to bring up this hilarious sound drop of Foles at the Pro Bowl trying to get the crowd amped up!
5. He Made Riley Cooper Look Good
Riley Cooper may of just announced his retirement so clearly he wasn’t an amazing receiver, but Nick Foles actually made him look good at times. Riley Cooper was a big bodied possession WR, basically he was a much shittier version of Alshon Jeffery and Foles should be able to really take advantage of his large catch radius.
6. He’s Not Afraid Of The Deep Ball
His deep ball really shined in the 2013 season when he averaged 9.3 yards per attempt, however throughout his career he hasn’t been afraid to chuck it up deep. Foles clearly doesn’t have the same ability to buy time that Carson has, but if the Eagles line can give him a clean pocket he can and will throw downfield.
7. The Eagles Have A Running Game & Defense That Can Win Games
Arguably the biggest complaint about the Eagles play calling from fans has been the lack of commitment to the running game at times. When you have a MVP QB it’s easy to see why you may get stuck passing, but now that Foles is at the helm expect a heavy dose of Jay Ajayi, Legarrette Blount and Corey Clement. A strong running game, opens up the play action game for Foles and makes his throws much easier. Carson Wentz probably could’ve played defense, but so far in 2017 he hasn’t. The defense meanwhile has been only allowing 19.2 points per game and have been quietly as important as the offense in their 11-2 record.
8. Vegas StilL Believes In The Eagles
Currently the MyBookie.Ag has the Eagles as a -7.5 point road favorite against the Giants. They’ll also likely be favorites in their final two regular season games against Oakland and Dallas. More surprisingly to some the Eagles are still the odds on favorite to win the NFC at only +250! And only +650 to win the Super Bowl
9. He’s Already Got Some Sweet Nicknames
Nicky Six and Big Dick Nick! That’s tough to beat, now if only I could track down my Foles jersey I gave up when they traded him for Sam Bradford I’ll be back in business.
