In this Wacky and Ludicrous Season, the Eagles have Begun to Soar

Is Foles For Real?

By Max Berger

Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports

Anyone remember when the Eagles’ season was destined for disaster? Well now the team reside atop of the NFC East Division standings tied with the Cowboys and are playing its best ball since a Week One win over the Redskins.

The reason: Nick Foles is playing at an out-of-this-world level since returning from the forgettable showing versus the Cowboys in Week Seven, where he played shakily and left the game with a concussion. The past two games, both of which being Philadelphia wins to propel the team to a .500 record, he has posted passer ratings of 149.3 and 158.3, respectively.

A rating of 158.3, which Foles posted in the 49-20 week nine victory over Oakland, is literally perfect by NFL standards. He achieved perfection by throwing for seven touchdowns, which tied the NFL record, to go along with 406 yards passing and 78.6% completion percentage.

In his encore performance this past Sunday, he and the #Birdgang handled the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers 27-13. Foles again dazzled by completing 12 of 18 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Some might say that the outcome would have been different had the Green Bay’s star quarterback been healthy, but both Foles and the Eagles’ much-improved defense executed their roles.

Regardless of the health of currently injured opening day starting quarterback Michael Vick, Foles has clearly grasped his opportunity and deserves to finish out the season as the team’s starter. Vick is sometimes electric, but he is still predictably unpredictable and often careless with the football.

And his infamous injury record is no coincidence – his 6” 0’ 215 pound frame is not sustainable with his reckless style of play. A man that has not started an entire 16 game season since 2006 cannot be a team’s franchise quarterback, and it’s time that Chip Kelly should evaluate if Nick Foles can be one for the Philadelphia Eagles.

His play especially over the past four weeks, and for a good majority of the season, has been exceptional and is leading the team into a heated division race.

Dallas is technically ahead of the Eagles in the division, despite the teams sharing the same 5-5 record because of its head-to-head win over them in Week Seven, but as per usual, the Cowboys have failed to be consistent and utilize their talented personnel.

If Foles can maintain his stronghold on the starter’s role and guide this team to more wins, this team has a serious shot to win the division and make the postseason. The Giants and Redskins are both 3-6, and neither team seems capable of rattling off a string of wins.

As ridiculous as this would have sounded before the season, it looks like Foles and the Eagles are in the driver’s seat for the playoffs in this ludicrous season in the NFC East.