Nick Foles discusses the NFC Championship Game (and his ribs)
It all came together for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles at exactly the time he needed it to come together.
If you’re a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, you’ve seen both the best and the worst of quarterback Nick Foles. That’s been especially true this season, but when starting quarterback Carson Wentz was sidelined with injury, one thing was certain. We knew, at some point, he’d have to prove he could beat teams with his arm as Philly wasn’t going to be able to beat teams solely with their spectacular defensive unit.
We saw glimpses against the New York Giants. There were times that we saw how bad it could get, the Monday night game versus the Oakland Raiders for instance. Foles began to develop a real rhythm in the divisional round of the playoffs, but in the NFC Championship Game it all came together. The better version of Foles showed up again, and it appears he may be here to stay.
Let’s look at the numbers and past them.
Foles lit up the NFL‘s best defensive unit, that of the Minnesota Vikings, to the tune of a 141.4 passer rating as he completed 78.8 percent of his passes and threw three touchdowns. It was a masterful display of playcalling by his head coach, Doug Pederson as Foles executed each play well. He got a chance to discuss a little of that following the trophy presentation.
"I felt good before the game, being in the NFC Championship game, my first time ever playing in it. Just the journey that’s happened the last several years, it’s an emotional thing so you just want to settle in, but very soon. Just looking at the guys on the sidelines, pregame, being in the locker room everyone was just locked in…We wanted to be aggressive. This is Minnesota, one of the best teams in football. Obviously their defense is one of the top defenses in the league."
X-rays are apparently negative.
As a precaution, X-rays were taken of his rib cage. It appeared that he had been in some discomfort following a shot he took on one of his 33 pass attempts of the evening. Foles discussed that and the fact that what took place on Championship Sunday’s final game still hasn’t sunk in yet.
"They were just checking. I’m good. I’m good… I haven’t even had time to really comprehend what’s going on, to be honest. I don’t even know if I ever will. When I was up there on the stage, it’s something you dream about as a kid, just the magnitude of this game and for us to go out as a team and put together a great performance. That’s something really special."
Special it is. The New England Patriots are the final step in the Eagles’ quest to bring a Vince Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time in the team’s history. If Foles ever learns to enjoy this victory, he’ll need to do it quickly. It’s time to go back to work. The job still isn’t done.