Eagles Can Survive, Even Succeed with Mark Sanchez at Quarterback

Nick Foles has a cracked clavicle, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. And while the quarterback's rehab timeline remains murky, the fact remains the Philadelphia Eagles will be without their starting quarterback for an extended stretch.

In this pass-happy, quarterback-dependent era, that's often a football death sentence. But while I noted on Sunday that the quarterback position has become a major liability in Philadelphia, Foles' injury in and of itself is not going to be an acceptable excuse if the Eagles crash and burn between now and Dec. 28. 

That's because a) the quarterback position was a mess even with Foles under center, and b) veteran backup Mark Sanchez may possess the tools necessary to hold down the fort in this type of environment. 

I know what you're thinking. That Mark Sanchez? The dude who posted the second-lowest qualifying passer rating in the NFL when he was last a starter with the New York Jets in 2012? The Sanchez who entered this season with more interceptions (69) than touchdown passes (68) and who was the league's lowest-rated passer during the four-year span in which he was the starter in New York?

Quarterback	Games	Attempts	Rating
Mark Sanchez	62	1867	71.7
Chad Henne	43	1361	74.9
Sam Bradford	42	1498	77.3
Matt Cassel	48	1489	77.5
Matt Hasselbeck	52	1671	77.7

Yes, we're referring to the flameout from the first round of the 2009 draft—a 27-year-old who has been plagued by poor accuracy and worse decisions for half a decade. He had a pair of interceptions on only 22 passes in relief of Foles Sunday, but there's reason to believe Philly's season is still far from over.

Here's why:

First, it's not as though Foles was playing well anyway

The Eagles were already winning consistently in spite of their quarterback. Before Foles was injured Sunday, he became only the third signal-caller this season to hit the 10-interception mark. 

It's probably unfair to continually compare his 2014 stats to his off-the-charts 2013 numbers, but it's pretty jarring that a quarterback who threw just two picks all of last year was on pace to toss more than 20 this season. Throw in three lost fumbles and he had 13 turnovers in fewer than eight games, which is the second-highest total in the league (behind only rookie Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles). 

Foles is also one of only seven qualifying quarterbacks with a completion percentage below 60. Three of the other six guys on that list—EJ Manuel of the Buffalo Bills, Jake Locker of the Tennessee Titans and Geno Smith of the Jets—have already been benched. 

Foles had quite simply fallen from elite to subpar. He was having a below-average season despite plenty of support, and the sample size has become large enough (nearly half a season) to rule out a basic slump. 

But again, Philly is 6-2 at the midway point of the season. That's not bad considering the Eagles were 3-5 with a red-hot Foles at this point last year. They've received a boost from a league-high seven non-offensive touchdowns—probably not sustainable over the course of the season—as the defense has become a strength. And there's been enough support on offense and special teams to keep things rolling. 

They haven't exactly been beating Super Bowl contenders, but they've defeated everyone they've been supposed to beat. They took out the division-leading Indianapolis Colts in September and they fell just short on the road against the talented San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. 

There's really nothing Foles has done that Sanchez can't do. This team is well-coached and is relatively deep. Eventually it'll need better results at the quarterback position, but the bar has been set shockingly low by Foles so far. 

This is the closest thing you'll see to a run-first team in 2014

The running game was a little lost early this season. Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy saw limited daylight behind an offensive line that had been ravaged by injuries. As a result, head coach Chip Kelly strayed from his run-heavy mentality.

But it appears the team's close to the right track. McCoy has gone over the 100-yard mark twice in the last three weeks, and stud center Jason Kelce is back after missing four games due to a groin injury. Pro Bowl left guard Evan Mathis should also be back from a sprained MCL as soon as he's eligible to return in Week 10.

Foles benefited greatly last year from the fact the Eagles led the league with 5.1 yards per rushing attempt, while finishing the season as one of only six teams that ran the ball more than 47 percent of the time.

This year, that first number has dropped from 5.1 to 4.3 and the second from 47.0 to 40.2, which is below the league-wide average. 

Period	YPG	YPA
First 5 games	98.6	3.8
Last 3 games	167.7	4.9

But during Sunday's 31-21 victory over the Houston Texans, Kelly went back to his bread and butter. Shortly beyond the point at which the scripted portion of the offensive game plan usually ends, the Eagles had run 20 passing plays and five running plays. But from that point forward, with Sanchez manning the ship in a close game, they ran 29 times and passed only 25 times. 

McCoy and backups Darren Sproles and Chris Polk had 184 yards on 32 carries on the road against a solid defensive front. If they can keep producing within that range going forward, Sanchez will have a fighting chance. 

Chip has a way of getting the most out of his offensive weapons

Thus far, this argument in support of Sanchez has had little to do with the quarterback himself. And that's because there's only so much you can say about a guy who hasn't started an NFL game since 2012 and was becoming a running joke at that point in time. 

But Sanchez looked like a completely different quarterback during the preseason and did have good control of the offense while running the show for three quarters on Sunday. He looks much more comfortable than he appeared to in New York, which shouldn't necessarily surprise anyone. 

Metric	Foles	Sanchez
Comp.%	68.8	80.6
YPA	6.3	9.1
TD	2	2
INT	3	1
Rating	73.6	112.5

That's because Kelly seems to have a magic touch with his offensive cogs. How else can you explain why Foles, McCoy, Mathis, Kelce and wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper all had career years in 2013? 

Sanchez never had this much support in New York under Rex Ryan, who wasn't exactly an offensive mastermind of a head coach.

Sanchez had a decent offensive line but not one that possessed two All-Pros (Mathis and left tackle Jason Peters), a top-five pick (right tackle Lane Johnson) and a center who was graded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the best player in football at that position (Kelce).

And he certainly didn't have a running back like McCoy, who is the reigning rushing champion, or a top receiver like Maclin, who has 18 catches, 345 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games. 

And because Kelly runs this team so efficiently in terms of practice and preparation, ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan points out that there isn't likely to be a lot of rust:

"

It doesn't matter whether it's a guard or the quarterback. The way Kelly runs his practices, every player gets a fair amount of practice time. So even though he had not appeared in a game since the preseason, Sanchez was comfortable stepping into a game against the Texans' ferocious pass rush and was familiar with his receivers.

"

That was probably obvious the moment he hit Maclin for a 52-yard bomb on his first play in relief of Foles Sunday and again when he and rookie receiver Jordan Matthews hooked up on a beautiful 11-yard touchdown pass to cap that drive. He and Matthews established a strong connection in August, and it appears that remains in place. 

“I just felt like I was ready,” Sanchez said after the win, according to CSN Philly's Reuben Frank. “I was prepared. Of course you’re a little nervous, you want to get the first throw out of the way, and thanks to Chip we throw it right down the field, so that will get your nerves going."

Nobody's running away with the NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys have lost back-to-back games and have a quarterback dealing with two transverse process fractures in his back. Philly is still probably a better all-around team than Dallas and gets to face the 'Boys twice during the second half of the season. 

The New York Giants have also lost two straight and are underdogs Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts. Even if they pull off the upset there, they'll still be two games back of the Eagles with a ridiculously difficult schedule for the remainder of November. The G-Men have also been ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball. 

The Washington Redskins aren't much healthier, even with quarterback Robert Griffin III back in the lineup. They're 3.5 games back of the Eagles and still have to travel to San Fran and Indy in November. 

What I'm saying is there's a margin for error. 

Sanchez has delivered in big spots

And let's keep in mind that Sanchez has plenty of big-game experience. He's been to a pair of AFC Championship Games and has nine touchdown passes and only three interceptions in six career playoff games, four of them wins. By no means was he the centerpiece of the Jets offense, but he doesn't have to play that role here either. 

It's concerning that he threw a pair of interceptions Sunday. Yes, one came off a deflection that probably should have been caught by rookie receiver Josh Huff, but Sanchez also had two third-quarter ducks that he was lucky weren't picked off. 

Credit: NFL Game Pass

Credit: NFL Game Pass

Credit: NFL Game Pass

That part of his game might never disappear, so there'll be some painful moments in the coming weeks. But when you consider all of the circumstances surrounding this opportunity for a talented quarterback, you at least realize that losing Foles doesn't mean the Eagles have to turn out the lights on the 2014 season. 

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

Follow @Brad_Gagnon