The weight of a pessimistic city and its once-promising NFL playoff aspirations now rest on the shoulders of the Philadelphia Eagles' unexpected leader. Nick Foles wasn't supposed to be in this position, not when the season had reached such a critical juncture. He was supposed to be waiting in the wings in case he was ever needed. But in truth, no one — certainly not the Eagles — thought he'd be a factor.
And now, Philadelphia's status as a surefire Super Bowl contender is at the mercy of an unreliable quarterback who has started only three games this season. And the coaching staff that deemed Foles nothing more than a serviceable backup to its rising star, Carson Wentz, now wants its fans and its players to believe Foles is more than capable of seeing this process through.
"My message to Nick is: Listen, we have a great opportunity. Let's go be Nick. Let's go play. Let's go execute the offense," coach Doug Pederson said in advance of their NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. "If the opportunity's there, rip it."
With Wentz, the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the Eagles were 11-2 and the clear NFC favorite to reach Super Bowl LII. But a torn knee ligament suffered in Week 14 against the Rams cut short Wentz's Pro Bowl season, sent Philly fans spiraling into a depressive state and left the Eagles scrambling to make do with Foles.
But the backup-turned-starter insisted he's ready.
"When I play my best, I just go out there and play," Foles said this week, adding that the key to his success lies in "just trusting my instinct."
But the No. 1-seeded Eagles need Foles to do more than "just go out there and play." They need him to actually make plays, something he's capable of doing, but has not done consistently.
Since replacing Wentz in the third quarter of their 43-35 win over the Rams, Foles is 2-1 as their starter but averaging only 4.96 yards per pass attempt and completing 54.6 percent of his passes over the past four games. Perhaps more disheartening for fans is the fact that Foles last started a playoff game in 2013 (a 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC wild-card game).
