Philadelphia Eagles: Despite Struggles, Nick Foles Is The Only Undefeated QB Going To Playoffs
“The Philadelphia Eagles are one and done if Nick Foles doesn’t play better”. Yup, that’s the thought process for many fans. Some even coming from those who bleed green. But can you blame them for thinking that? In a way, I can. That’s because they just don’t get it. This season has been a great ride for the Super Bowl-less Philadelphia Eagles. Carson Wentz was on his way to his first MVP and the team was looking at a possible 14-2 finish to the regular season. Not forgetting to mention the NFC East Division title, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
But then Wentz got hurt, Nick Foles came in and all those dreams felt so far away. That is until they weren’t anymore.
With Wentz down, the Eagles managed to beat the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, and the Oakland Raiders. While certainly not the best of wins in terms of talent, it’s more of giving the doubters the finger when they were counted out. Take a minute to glance at what I wrote above about the Eagles goals with Wentz behind center.
[MarkAds]The Eagles were 10-2 before the Rams game. Wentz went down in that contest and three weeks later, the Eagles are sitting at 13-2. They also won the NFC East, and let’s not forget, a first-round bye and home-field advantage, and yet, Foles is being looked upon as not being able to shoulder the load.
Foles is capable of leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl, however, what has people skeptical is that he’s not Wentz. He doesn’t need to be, last I checked, his name is Nick Foles ladies and gentleman. His job is to win games, not MVP’s. And by all accounts, Foles has done what he’s supposed to do. Have there been some rough stretches along the way? Yes, but that’s to be expected. There’s a ton of pressure being thrown at him. You must remember, this is not Jimmy Garopplolo in San Francisco with no expectations. Foles was handed the keys to a Super Bowl contending team and asked not to screw it up. Just another day at the office, right?
🚂 All aboard! 🚂#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/u8p7qIkYGC
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2017
People were expecting Foles to come in and throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns every game when all he had to do was come in and not lose the momentum. Mission accomplished. Granted, Foles has not put up Wentz-like numbers but the Eagles are finding out their team is equipped for the close games in which winners and breed. The Rams’ game was a shootout, Foles survived. The Giants’ game was another shootout, Foles survived and the Raiders’ game was a defensive battle. And guess what? Foles survived.
The Job Is To Manage The Game
With Wentz, the Eagles had the luxury of having one of the better arms in the league moving the chains like a robot. With Foles, he has to take his time, get adjusted and strike where he sees an opening. However, while doing so, he has an arsenal of running backs to keep the pressure off. The Eagles are successful due to a system, not a single player. It’s almost identical to the success Jimmy Garoppolo had in New England last season when Tom Brady was out the first four games of the year. Many thought “0-4” and all Jimmy G did was go 2-0.
To say that Foles will be the Eagles downfall is purely someone not understanding the game of football or how the Eagles were built. It’s not about how many 300-yard games you can have, it’s about Nick Foles putting his team in position to win. So far, he’s 3-0. How many teams heading into the playoffs can say that about their starting quarterback?
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
