Foles, Eagles Top Shorthanded Packers

The Eagles went into a very difficult place to play in Lambeau Field and scored a two touchdown victory over the Packers, 27-13, to even their record at 5-5. This is the type of game bad teams lose.

The Eagles are not a bad team, but are they a good team? When they get consistent outstanding play from their quarterback, they are. Nick Foles became the first quarterback in NFL HISTORY to post a QB rating of greater than 149 in two consecutive games.

Foles also matched the NFL mark of 16 touchdowns without an interception to start a season. To be technical, Peyton Manning already set a new NFL record with 20 touchdowns to start this season, but it’s not a record until the season is over… and maybe Foles isn’t done just yet.

Foles also has the lowest career interception percentage in the history of the NFL. These records and numbers place him in the pantheon of great NFL quarterbacks.

Surely, it is extremely premature to do so. Just as surely, they are facts, empirical evidence that, at least, he deserves- and deserved from the start- the chance to prove or disprove his promise.

The Eagles task was made much easier when Aaron Rodgers went down with a fractured shoulder last Monday night. When backup Seneca Wallace was injured early in the game, Scott Tolzien filled in admirably and kept the Packers competitive, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

The Eagles offense continued to pile up yards, eclipsing the 400 yard mark yet again. Troublingly they were 0-4 in the red zone, but they did put up 27 points. All of Foles 3 touchdown passes came from outside the red zone.

Riley Cooper continued his miraculous emergence with touchdowns of 45 and 32 yards on his way to topping the 100 yard mark again. Desean Jackson added a 55 yard touchdown catch on a very fortunate deflection.

Foles threw the ball only eighteen times, although he managed to amass 228 yards on those throws. The Eagles continued a recent pattern of running very few plays, which is counter to Chip Kelly’s philosophy.

However, the reason for the low play count has been the quick strike nature of the offense. They often score in four of five plays that run only a couple minutes off the clock. That can’t be considered a bad thing, except for that it puts the defense on the field for 35-40 minutes a game, which could cause fatigue down the stretch.

 What looked like another quiet day for Lesean McCoy- which may have been a cause for alarm- turned out to be quite the opposite.

The Eagles took possession on downs at their own eight yard line after stonewalling the Packers offense. What followed is what Eagles fans love more than anything besides defense.

The offensive line imposed its will on the Packers second-ranked rushing defense, even when they knew what was coming. McCoy repeatedly recorded first down after first down. The fifteen play, 70 yard drive was the Eagles longest of the season, running the remaining 9:32 off the clock and stealing all hope of a comeback from the Packers.

Shady reemerged in a big way, ending with 155 yards on the ground. It was his third plus 150 yard game of the day, but his first since Week 3.

The defense surrendered a lot of yards, but again held the point total in check, this time at 13. That’s the sixth game in a row they have held an opponent below 21 points after a horrendous start.

Packers rookie running back came in red hot and the Eagles defense did a superb job, holding him to just three yards per carry and zero touchdowns.

The defense also came up with two big interceptions. It still seems unwise to put too much pressure on this evolving defense, yet every week it is getting better. Demeco Ryans had another interception to go with his 13 tackles. He is the lone Eagles defender who should get Pro Bowl consideration.

Now, for the next step. The Eagles are 5-1 on the road and 0-4 at home. That is simply unacceptable.

There is no way Nick Foles will continue to put up the numbers he has so far. He is not Peyton Manning, he is not Joe Montana.

He is the starting quarterback of an NFL playoff contender- and a big reason they are playoff contenders- after the previous quarterback left with a 1-3 record.

The deplorable losing streak at the Linc has now become a mountain to overcome. There are so many aspects to this game, its importance almost cannot be overstated.

The streak, putting the Redskins in the rearview mirror where they belong, bettering their division record, improving their overall record, going into the bye on a positive note; all of these things are at stake.

This is a huge test for Nick Foles and the Eagles. Despite his outstanding play, fans want to see more from Nick Foles.

Next Sunday, it would be wise for him to reailize there is no time like the present to seize the mantle of “quarterback of the future.”