Eagles Have Ingredients to Make a Run, but QB Position Remains the Major Concern

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw only 13 passes Sunday against the Houston Texans before leaving the game with a shoulder injury at the end of the first quarter. He completed 10 of those passes, but the good was trumped by the bad.

In this case, the bad was Foles' 10th interception of the season, an absolutely unnecessary duck of an underthrow on first down which resulted in a Houston touchdown. At that moment, Foles became just the third quarterback this season to hit the double digits in that category, joining Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Geno Smith of the New York Jets. Bortles is a rookie, and Smith has already been benched. 

And in case anybody thought backup Mark Sanchez could be the savior, the former blue-chip prospect and No. 5 overall pick threw a pair of picks in his first appearance of the season in relief of Foles. One came on a deflection, but the other came as a result of Sanchez making an ugly pass on a big third down late in the third quarter. 

We don't know how long the Eagles will be without Foles, but the quarterback position has become the chief concern in Philly regardless of how serious the injury is to Foles' clavicle. That's because the Eagles beat a relatively talented team by 10 points on the road Sunday despite the fact their quarterbacks turned the ball over on three occasions. 

It's really the story of the season for the Eagles, who now sit alone atop the crumbling NFC East at 6-2 despite entering Week 9 with a team passer rating of 80.7, which was the sixth-lowest mark in the NFL.

That number has actually risen a bit with Foles and Sanchez—who did complete 71 percent of their passes and threw three touchdown strikes—putting together a combined rating of 93.3 against the Texans, but don't be fooled into believing they've made progress under center. 

Leader	Picks	Passer rating*
Eagles	12	80.7
Colts	9	97.1
Saints	8	98.8
Lions	7	86.5
Bengals	6	91.9
Broncos	4	118.6
Patriots	2	106.2
Cardinals	2	90.3

The Eagles are winning because they've got elite offensive weapons like running back LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin carrying the offense. They're winning because they've got an underrated defense with a knack for making big plays. They're winning because they're well-coached. 

They're winning in spite of their quarterback(s). And eventually, if that doesn't change, it'll catch up them, especially if defensive quarterback DeMeco Ryans is out long-term as a result of the injury he suffered Sunday. 

They scored seven non-offensive touchdowns during the first half of the season, which isn't sustainable. And they've given up just 12.7 points per game the last three weeks, which won't likely hold up against teams like the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks in the second half. 

McCoy should continue to get better as the interior offensive line becomes healthier. He had 117 rushing yards Sunday and has hit the triple digits twice in the last three weeks. Maclin has 18 catches, 345 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games. He's the hottest receiver in the NFL. 

From CSN Philly's Reuben Frank: 

"

Just a reminder to everybody who doubted Maclin’s ability to be a No. 1 receiver: He is halfway to the greatest season any Eagle receiver has ever had. Another massive game Sunday gives him 45 catches for 790 yards and eight touchdowns, which puts him on pace for 90 catches, 1,580 yards and 16 TDs this year. Maclin on Sunday became the 13th player in NFL history with consecutive games of 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the first since Miles Austin in 2009. Where are all the people who said he couldn’t be a No. 1? He’s been astonishing.

"

But in the NFL in 2014, you can't build a successful offense around backs and receivers. 

Year	Quarterback	INT rate	INT total
2014*	Nick Foles	3.2	20**
2013	Russell Wilson	2.2	9
2012	Joe Flacco	1.9	10
2011	Eli Manning	2.7	16
2010	Aaron Rodgers	2.3	11
2009	Drew Brees	2.1	11

Regardless of how well those guys are playing and how many big plays they get from standout front-seven defenders Trent Cole, Mychal Kendricks and Fletcher Cox, the Eagles won't be able to compete for their first championship in over half a century if Foles doesn't get healthy and make marked improvements during the second half of the season. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon