Things looked grim for the Philadelphia Eagles and their playoff hopes before Sunday night’s game against the NFC West leaders Los Angeles Rams. Eagles were not only facing one of NFL’s best team’s away from home, but they were also set to start the game without their starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who was out with a back injury. Still, their backup QB Nick Foles stepped up and delivered once again.
Despite being 13.5 points underdogs before the game, Eagles ended up grabbing a 30-23 win. It was the second-biggest upset in 2018, and the biggest Philadelphia managed to pull off since 1995. While the entire team did their job, Foles might get the most credit.
Philadelphia Eagles found themselves in a similar situation last year when Wentz went down with an ACL injury. Nick Foles stepped in and orchestrated a spectacular playoff run which ended up with Eagles winning their first Super Bowl and him claiming the Super Bowl MVP award. It shouldn’t be surprising if the 29-year-old veteran manages to do something similar this year as well considering the fact that Carson Wentz’s recovery might take up to three months.
“It was really emotional,” – said Foles. “You hate for your teammate to get hurt. I’ve said it before. I feel really bad for Carson. We’re tight in that QB room … You go through the human emotions. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past — it doesn’t matter once you step onto that field. It’s a new day. It was really just dealing with the emotions, prepping as hard as I could and then realizing I wasn’t alone. I have great teammates out there.“
Foles completed 24 out of 31 passes for 270 yards against the Rams, but his impact stretched beyond the numbers. He managed to energize Philadelphia’s stale offense and inspire some big plays that proved to be game changers. The proof for this isn’t just the win, but also the fact that Sunday’s game was only the second one this season in which the Eagles managed to score 30 or more points.
“We don’t get into a comparison game of who’s doing what, but right now, Nick is the quarterback, and he had a hell of a game that helped us win the game,” – said Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. “We know that we have that in Nick. And so for us, we’ll go through the week, and who we’re going into the game with, that’s who we’re going to try and win with. And we have wholehearted belief in everybody that puts those pads on.“
