The Eagles have a playoff game Sunday in Chicago, though you wouldn’t know it by the offseason chatter. The local conversation has been dominated by the debate over Nick Foles and Carson Wentz this week, a decision that doesn’t need to be made until after the season ends.
Here’s a thought, the way Foles performs this week and going forward — if there is a forward — probably should be a pivotal part of any decision the Eagles make.
1. The discussion is moot if Foles doesn’t repeat his postseason success
I’m all for the Eagles seriously reconsidering their long-term plan at quarterback if Foles guides the team to another Super Bowl or even goes deep in the playoffs. At a certain point, the organization is forced to examine whether Foles is simply a better fit for the offense and locker room than Wentz, or if he just has that “it” factor.
But if the Eagles are eliminated in Chicago, or they advance only to get steamrolled in New Orleans for a second time, what will Foles have really accomplished this season? A few hollow victories over a series of shorthanded opponents.
The intent isn’t to diminish Foles’ winning streak, yet if the Eagles are going to hand over the keys to the franchise to a soon-to-be 30-year-old career backup over a 26-year-old MVP candidate, I need to see more.
2. Eagles’ three-game winning streak isn’t all Foles
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There’s no denying Foles is playing well. He set an Eagles franchise record with 471 yards passing against Houston in Week 16, then tied an NFL record with 25 straight completions against Washington in the finale.
It’s not just the guy under center, though. The Eagles are playing better. As. A. Team. And there’s a simple explanation. They’re getting healthier. Foles’ run coincides with the return of Darren Sproles, who’s helped provide a lift for the offense, as well as Avonte Maddox, which gave the defense three competent cornerbacks for the first time in weeks.
Credit where credit is due, but don’t you think Wentz would’ve benefitted with Sproles’ presence in the backfield, or somebody other than De’Vante Bausby and Chandon Sullivan covering opposing wide receivers?
3. The Eagles’ predicament wasn’t all Wentz’s fault, to begin with
Ignoring the fact that Wentz spent his offseason and the majority of summer rehabbing his knee rather than taking key reps with the offense, then apparently played half the season with a broken back, he still put the Eagles in position to win more games than the nine they did. If the defense forces a stop on 4th-and-15 Week 4 in Tennessee, the Eagles win. If the D doesn’t blow a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against Carolina three games later, win again.
Which is not to say Wentz played amazing in either contest. The offense had opportunities to seal the deal and failed to come through in both instances. You can argue the 20 and 17 points the Eagles scored in regulation simply weren’t enough.
Should the Eagles have won those games? Absolutely. And did the defense fall apart and surrender leads in both? No question about it. Again, it’s not always about the quarterback.
4. Let’s not forget 2017 Wentz
Foles may have been the guy raising the Lombardi Trophy inside U.S. Bank Stadium last February, but the Eagles’ path to the Super Bowl would’ve been a lot harder were it not for the road Wentz paved.
Wentz was on the way to his 11th win and likely the NFL’s MVP, too, when he tore up his knee Week 14 in Los Angeles. Foles only needed to win two games against the lowly Giants and Raiders to secure a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the postseason, clearly important factors in a championship run.
Would the Eagles have finished 13-3 with Foles at the helm all season? Perhaps. Would the Eagles have won the Super Bowl had Wentz stayed healthy? Maybe. We’ll never know, but it’s not like Foles saved them. He inherited a great team in an even better position, and everything came together at the right time.
Foles doesn’t have those luxuries this time around. The team isn’t as good, and they will need to win three games on the road to make it back to the big game, so now’s the time to see what he’s really made of.
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