Eagles Proving They Need Nick Foles to Beat Good Teams, Make Playoff Run

The Philadelphia Eagles’ honeymoon with Mark Sanchez is officially over after the passing attack managed just 82 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the defending champions. This comes three short weeks after the Sanchez-led Birds were blown out 53-20 by the Green Bay Packers.

The Seahawks and Packers represent the class of the NFC, with the road to the Super Bowl likely going through one or both of them. Sanchez didn’t lose those games for the Eagles, per se, but he didn’t give his team a legitimate chance to win, either.

Honestly, I’m not sure Nick Foles would have fared much better. Philadelphia’s starting quarterback is something of an enigma himself, following up a historic 2013 campaign with a turnover-plagued 2014 before injury struck. That being said, I like the Eagles’ odds a whole lot better with Foles at the helm than Sanchez.

Sanchez created some buzz with a terrific preseason, completing 25 of 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns in three appearances. To be fair, he’s experienced some success in relief of Foles as well, guiding the Eagles to a 4-2 record in his appearances.

GM	CMP%	YDS/ATT	TD/INT	OUTCOME
Wk 11 @ GB	59.1	7.9	2/2	53-20 L
Wk 14 vs. SEA	50.0	4.8	2/1	24-14 L

Yet Sanchez’s ineffectiveness against the likes of the Seahawks and Packers demonstrated he is who we thought he is all along. The sixth-year veteran is a better quarterback than his time with the New York Jets would lead anybody to believe, but he’s not the guy who’s going to put the offense on his back and carry his team to the promised land.

Is Foles? Who knows. He’s clearly the best option the Eagles have right now, though.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

We’ve seen Foles author gutsy wins against contenders, outdueling Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts 30-27 back in September.

Even in defeat, Foles at least gave his team a shot at the end, the potential game-winning pass clanging off the hands of Riley Cooper in a 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 and again marching his team down the field for one last hurrah in a 24-21 collapse at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.

It’s even worth noting when Foles walked off the field for the last time during their first-round playoff exit versus the New Orleans Saints in January, the Eagles were winning.

The Eagles had zero chance of winning in Green Bay, and with 139 yards of total offense, their odds weren’t much better against Seattle on Sunday.

YR	CMP%	YDS/GM	TD/INT	RECORD
2012	60.8	242.7	6/5	1-5
2013	64.0	222.4	27/2	8-2
2014	59.8	270.4	13/10	6-2

Due to his poor start, people tend to overlook or write off Foles as the solution in Philadelphia. How quickly we forget he led the NFL in passer rating a season ago, he’s only 25 years old with 24 career starts under his belt and the offensive line was in shambles from opening day until very recently.

The fact Foles wasn’t historically sharp again, he suffered through some growing pains and was frequently victimized by poor pass protection shouldn’t have come as any surprise. It doesn’t mean he’s not the best chance the Eagles have at making a deep playoff run.

From the looks of things, he’s the only viable option they have. Foles may not be up to the challenge of knocking off the Packers or the Seahawks, either—but we know Sanchez isn’t.

The question becomes how soon can Foles return from the broken clavicle suffered on November 2? The initial diagnosis was 6-8 weeks, which would put him on track for the postseason, but as of Geoff Mosher’s report for CSNPhilly.com on December 1, Foles had not yet been cleared for practice.

Given the timetable, that seems reasonable. However, it’s fair to say we’re all in the dark as to any specifics on Foles’ progress. Will he be ready on time?

If the Eagles intend to make some noise this January, he better be. Maybe Foles isn’t the answer, but Sanchez definitely isn’t. As soon as Foles is available to return, it’s time to hand the reins back to the starter.