The Eagles vs. Bears Recap and What’s Next for Nick Foles
The Eagles vs. Bears Recap and What’s Next for Nick Foles
Many counted the Eagles out on Sunday night, but when it was all said and done, the Birds were able to leave Soldier Field victorious. The victory wasn’t pretty as the Eagles squeaked out a W after a slightly blocked field goal from new Philadelphia hero, special teamer Treyvon Hester to give them the 16-15 upset. The upset playoff win only further validates the play of Nick Foles in crunch time. It has been enjoyable watching Foles during the postseason which seems like an average day at the office for him. Foles didn’t play the whole season and only appeared in garbage time as a backup, but when the Eagles needed the biggest play at the biggest time Foles has come up clutch. To set the stage before Foles’ heroics, Mitchell Trubisky drove down the field and threw a strike to offseason acquisition Allen Robinson who put the Bears up with just over nine minutes left to play. After a failed two point conversion, the Bears led 15-10 and the stage was set for Foles’ magic. Foles hit Alshon Jeffery for fifteen yards and then to Dallas Goedert on second and ten. After that, he hit Agholor for eight and Ertz for another thirteen. On a third and nine with 1:55 left, Foles dropped back and lobbed a perfect pass to Alshon Jeffery to set up the Eagles with a first and goal. Later in that drive after three failed attempts to score including two no gain runs and a misfire to Jeffery, the Eagles were looking at a fourth and goal with a mere minute on the clock. Foles called timeout to think the play over with head coach Doug Pederson. During that timeout, Foles suggested to Doug Pederson that the Eagles run a sprint-out pass, knowing the Bears were likely to blitz and Pederson agreed. With that, Foles sprinted back out on the field looking as composed as if it was a second quarter drive in week eight. He rolled out and fired a dart to midseason acquisition Golden Tate for the game winning touchdown. With all that happened Sunday night and everything that Nick Foles has brought to the city of Philadelphia, should the Eagles keep Nick Foles?
The answer isn’t an easy one. Foles’ $20 million cap hit for the 2019 season is ridiculous for a backup quarterback. Furthermore, Foles might get a chance to start for another team with him showing what he can do on the biggest stages. We’ve seen this move before. After a great 2013 and 2014 season as the Eagles’ starter, the Eagles decided to go elsewhere at quarterback. He was traded to the Rams as part of the Sam Bradford deal which cemented his status as their starter for years to come. However, things didn’t turn out as planned. Foles had the worst statistical season of his career and almost retired. Ironically, current Bears Coach Matt Nagy convinced Foles to keep playing the game he loved. On Sunday, that advice conveniently came back to haunt Nagy. While Foles would like to stay with Philly, he has acknowledged that his days in Philly could be coming to an end sooner rather than later, but he’s embraced it. “I realize that I’m blessed to be able to wear this jersey at least one more week,” he told ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, “and I get to play with these guys one more week.”
Ultimately, Nick Foles could be playing his last game against the Saints on Sunday and the Eagles will need to think about what to do with the signal caller if that’s the case. The biggest games the Eagles have won in the last two seasons have had Nick Foles under center and that’s what many look to when they think whether or not Foles is worth the $20 million in 2019. It’s been rumored that the Eagles have put the tag on Foles in order to work a sign and trade for him to be shipped off to be a starter for another team next season. While Carson Wentz is still the future of this franchise, I firmly believe that Foles’ ability to play the game at a very high level will only ensure that he will be playing in 2019 for the Eagles or another team. For now, Nick Foles and the current Eagles team will certainly embrace the moment to continue their 2018 Super Bowl journey against the New Orleans Saints. However, only time will tell.
-By Ross Neuman