Nick Foles: What To Know About Carson Wentz's Replacement In Philadelphia
With Carson Wentz done for the season with a torn ACL, the Eagles will now turn to Nick Foles to take over at quarterback.
The season is far from over for Philadelphia, even though the team just lost its MVP candidate. With the NFC East locked up, the Eagles will at least host one playoff game, and there is still a good chance they also earn a bye and possibly home field advantage. At 11-2, Philadelphia holds the top seed in the NFC, and with games against the Giants, Raiders and Cowboys remaining, there is a shot the team has that spot in January, even with a backup quarterback behind center.
Foles, a six-year veteran from Arizona, is holding the keys to the NFL's top scoring offense. Here are some things you should know about newest factor in the NFC playoff picture.
1. He has already won a division title for the Eagles
In 2013, the Eagles were supposed to be going through a transition as Chip Kelly took over at coach to replace Andy Reid. Philadelphia had lost receiver Jeremy Maclin to a torn ACL before the season started and quarterback Michael Vick was knocked out of game against the Giants, causing Foles to replace him. He would start 11 of Philadelphia's next 12 games, including a home playoff loss to the Saints in the Wild Card round. The Eagles finished the year 10-6 with Foles at the helm, and at the time, it appeared they had stumbled across a long-term answer at quarterback going forward.
2. He has tied the NFL record for passing touchdowns in a game
On Nov. 3, 2013, Foles put his name in the record books with an all-time performance against the Oakland Raiders. Philadelphia picked up a 49-20 road victory thanks to Foles tossing seven touchdowns to five different receivers. In what was clearly the top game of his career, he went 22-for-28 for 406 yards to go along with the seven scores and no interceptions. For the season, Foles finished with 27 touchdowns and just two picks, which at the time was the best touchdown-interception ratio in league history. Tom Brady topped the mark last season by throwing 28 touchdowns and two interceptions.
3. He has played for three different teams
After 2013, Foles was pegged to at least be in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future, but a broken collarbone cut his 2014 season short. The following offseason, it was still Foles' team to lead, until he was traded to the Rams for Sam Bradford. He started 11 games and completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,052 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The next year, he was backing up Alex Smith in Kansas City, and started one game—a 19-14 win over the Jaguars. This past offseason he returned to Philadelphia to play behind Wentz.
4. He was a third-round pick after a good college career
Foles was taken No. 88 overall by the Eagles in the 2012 draft. He started his college career at Michigan State, but transferred to Arizona, where he started for the better part of three years. During his time as a Wildcat, he completed 66.8 percent of his passes for a school record 10,011 yards and he tied the school record with 67 career touchdown passes.
5. He was benched for Case Keenum
During his one season with the Rams, Foles was sent to the pine for the team's other new quarterback: Case Keenum. The two men have since left the Rams, and now each is tasked with leading a new club as a backup quarterback who was forced to start due to injury. Who would have imagined that the two quarterbacks from the 2015 St. Louis Rams would be starting for the top two teams in the NFC just a few years later? With the Eagles and the Vikings holding the top two spots in the NFC standings, it is possible that Foles and Keenum meet with a Super Bowl berth on the line later this season.
