Eagles Talk: Did Doug Pederson remove Foles too early on Sunday?

Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles offense did not look so hot on Sunday.

The Philadelphia Eagles experienced something for the first time in a long time this past Sunday. They got shut out 6-0 at home by the Dallas Cowboys to end the season at 13-3. Although anytime the Eagles take a loss to a division, it hurts. But there were many other things to be concerned about other than the scoreboard. For example, Nick Foles and the offense looked pretty bad.

We were all aware that Foles has been struggling since last week. Against the Oakland Raiders, he just looked flat out lost. This past weekend was his chance at redemption so he could finally give the Eagles fans some confidence as they head into playoff time. But instead, things are looking a lot uglier than desired as we approach the playoffs.

This week the Eagles will be watching the games from home like the rest of the NFL that won’t be participating in the Wild Card round. But in two weeks, the Eagles have to go toe-to-toe with another tough NFC opponent. While their three potential opponents are definitely beat-able, it is still tough to feel totally confident in the Eagles ability to put up points.

The main concern…

While it was expected that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson would be resting starts on Sunday. It was unexpected to see how early Foles was pulled from the game. After three series on offense, without registering a single point, Foles’ day was ended before the second quarter had even begun. He finished out with an atrocious stat line of 4-for-11 for 39 yards and an interception.

Now, we ask this question: Did Doug Pederson remove Foles from the game way too early? It’s understandable that he was avoiding any major injuries, but at that point, they had nothing to lose. With the way Foles has been playing, the Eagles defense will undoubtedly have to carry this team through the playoffs.

With the struggles of Foles in his three series on Sunday, he shouldn’t have been removed from the game until he showed at least some potential. The main concern heading into the playoffs has been the chemistry between the quarterback and his weapons. This week was supposed to be the game where the Foles can get on track and prove that his teammates could trust him. But at this point, they are left with suspicion rather than confidence.

Doug’s mistake…

The idea of Pederson pulling Foles out of the game seemed like a panic move. While he could say he did it to avoid any injury, it just seems very odd. It seems like Pederson was more nervous about teams getting bad play from Foles on film, rather than worried about him suffering an injury. For that, he might end up paying for it.

After Week 16’s game against the Oakland Raiders, Eagles number one receiver Alshon Jeffery was clearly frustrated. With hardly any targets, Jeffery was left without a single catch. After the game, he had nothing to say. He eventually chalked it up to crediting the defense rather than throwing his quarterback under the bus. While it is most likely appreciated by the team that Jeffery didn’t make it a big deal. We all know that deep down inside Jeffery was disappointed in Foles.

Next: Jim Schwartz to interview with Giants and Cardinals

Now in a do or die situation, the Eagles starting offense has hardly any idea if they can produce points or not. What was one of the most consistently productive offenses has turned into a system full of struggles. Without the extra reps that were there on Sunday, the Eagles offense could come out not only rusty in the playoffs, but still out of order. Now there’s no guarantee that they would be in tip-top shape if they left Foles in the game. But it couldn’t have hurt to let him get the extra time needed. The bottom line is that Pederson prematurley took Foles out due to panic instead of caution.