Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles
When Nick Foles took over under center for the Philadelphia Eagles late in the 2018 NFL season, he had a tall task ahead of him. With Carson Wentz battling a back injury, the team turned the offense over to Foles for a second consecutive season for the final stretch of the season.
Last year, Foles played in seven regular-season games and eventually led the team to an incredible Super Bowl run. But this time, he took over with the Eagles sitting at 6-7 and set to face one of the NFC’s top teams in the Los Angeles Rams on the road. Philadelphia pulled off that upset 30-23 and proceeded to win two more crucial games after. Thanks to a little Week 17 help, the Eagles were playoff bound.
Following a win over the Chicago Bears, running back Jay Ajayi, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 4, spoke about Foles prior to a divisional playoff date with the New Orleans Saints. Ajayi offered high praise for the quarterback on ‘The ThomaHawk Show’ podcast by UNINTERRUPTED while speaking to former NFL players Joe Thomas and Andrew Hawkins.
Hawkins: We’ve seen Foles come back in and do a lot of the same things he was doing last year when he helped lead you guys to a Super Bowl victory, what is it about Foles that makes the team kind of rally around him and up their play?
Ajayi: Everyone just believes in him and he believes in himself. You know, he’s been there before, he’s done it before, so it’s like the complete composure. I mean you saw it on the fourth down throw to Golden [Tate] and all that, it’s very composed and we can just count on him. I think it’s just about everyone doing their job, letting nine [Foles] do his thing and let’s just play team ball.
Nick Foles’ Play Through Final Stretch & Playoffs
After leading the Eagles to three consecutive wins to finish the year and throwing six touchdowns against three interceptions, Foles had the team flying high. They entered the playoffs with a date at Soldier Field against the No. 3 seed Chicago Bears, and the 29-year-old quarterback had a solid showing.
During the 16-15 win in the wild-card round, Foles threw for 266 yards while completing 62.5 percent of his passes with two touchdowns. The fact he managed such a solid stat line against arguably one of the NFL’s best defenses was impressive. This win set the Eagles up for their date with the Saints and a chance to go to the NFC Championship Game on the line.
Record & Success With Eagles
It’s hard to ignore what Foles has been able to do as a member of the Eagles, specifically during his second stint with the team. After the team selected him with a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Foles went just 1-5 in his first season. He flipped the script in year two and put together an 8-2 record while throwing 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
Foles struggled a bit in 2014 as he threw 10 interceptions but still posted a 6-2 record. Prior to the next season, the Eagles traded him to the then-St. Louis Rams where he spent one year. His return to Philly came in 2017, and as stated above, it’s been a massive success. Across all 32 regular-season starts with the Eagles, Foles has gone 21-11 and also posted a 4-1 playoff record.
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