Nick Foles achieves another milestone but may miss out on a bonus
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles reaches yet another plateau, but leaving the game early with an injury may have robbed him of a chance to cash in.
Well, in the end, NIck Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles truly did it the hard way. Still, with the clinching of a spot in the playoffs, no one’s really going to complain. For only the second time in the team’s history, ‘The Birds’ had a win-loss record after 11 weeks that was below .500, and they still made the postseason.
The only other time that happened, they were led by another backup quarterback, Jeff Garcia, in 2006.
Now, the hope is that everyone’s correct in all of those theories stating Nick Foles’ injury truly is only a few bruised ribs. Adam Schefter was among the early birds with that report.
Eagles believe QB Nick Foles has bruised ribs and they think he’s OK, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
Unfortunately for ‘Saint Nick’, missing the majority of the fourth quarter may cost him a bonus that was built into his current deal. Here’s something else Schefter reported that you may have missed if you were just looking for an injury update. Foles’ injury may have robbed him of some valuable playing time that would have helped ‘Number Nine’ earn a little more pocket change.
Take a gander.
Eagles’ QB Nick Foles has a $1 million incentive if Philadelphia goes to the postseason AND he plays 33 percent of team’s plays. His bruised ribs that prevented him from finishing today’s game now mean he played 32 percent of Eagles’ plays - 1 percent short of $1 million. Ouch.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
If you’re like us, you’re probably thinking ‘close enough’. Come on Philly. As Deion Sanders would say ‘Pay that man’! He’s kind of earned it. Well, hasn’t he?
Now, here’s something for the stat geeks.
In a world where Fantasy Football rules and Pro Football Focus exists, it’s easy to get lost in statistical data. In a week where Philly earned a second-straight postseason berth, it seems appropriate to talk about just how good Nick Foles is.
Try some of this on for size.
In his first stint with Philly, he threw 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions in 2013. Those are good numbers for a full 16-game slate. Foles did it in ten.
He also shares the record for the most touchdown passes in a single NFL game with seven.
He’s been named the most valuable player in both a Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl, and he’s the owner of the best postseason passer rating in NFL history. Last week, he shredded one of the league’s best defenses en route to a four-touchdown performance that netted 471 passing yards (an Eagles team record).
Next. Eagles and their fans react to their Wildcard berth. dark
One week later, he tied the NFL record for consecutive completions with 25. That places him at the top of another team record, one that was previously held by Donovan McNabb. He once threw 18 straight completions.
Here’s two questions. What can’t this Foles guy do, and what might he do for an encore?