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Does Nick Foles deserve to have his number retired by Philadelphia Eagles?

By Alex DeMarzo

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after a 1-yard touchdown reception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after a 1-yard touchdown reception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

A fairytale season

You know the story well. On December 10th of 2017, the Eagles marched into the LA Coliseum with a 10 – 2 record, and they were looking to clinch the NFC East title. However, late in the third quarter, the franchise quarterback Carson Wentz who was having an MVP-type season went down with a torn ACL and MCL.

Although Foles would relieve Wentz in that game to deliver a comeback win and securing the NFC East crown, numerous football fans and experts became skeptical of how far Philly would go in the playoffs.

With Foles under center, the Eagles would win the next two games to ensure the number one overall seed in the NFC for the postseason. Even though Foles started the final week of the season head coach Doug Pederson would pull the starters after the first quarter.

Foles finished the 2017 regular season by completing 56.4 percent of his passes for 537 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions and an overall passer rating of 79.5.

Despite being the number one overall seed, Philadelphia entered playoffs as an underdog. The Eagles took that as a sign of disrespect which fueled Foles and the rest of the team to produce one of the most outstanding playoff performances of all-time.

Once the postseason started, Foles took his game to a whole new level. He completed 72.6 percent of his passes for 971 yards, six touchdowns, one interception and an overall passer rating of 115.7.

During Super Bowl LII, Foles went blow for blow with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to secure the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.

Foles completed 28 of his 43 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and an overall passer rating of 106.1. Additionally, Foles caught a touchdown pass from the iconic trick play known as the “Philly Special.”

Foles’ remarkable performance earned him Super Bowl MVP honors.

Here are some additional records and stats from Foles’ playoff history.

  • 4 – 2 all-time postseason record
  • In 2017, produced the highest completion percentage in NFL single-postseason history (72.6%)
  • Owns the highest passer rating in franchise (92.7) and NFL postseason (113.2) history
  • Is the only quarterback in NFL history to record a 100+ passer rating in each of his first 4 career playoff games (min. 20 attempts per game)
  • Became the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for 300+ yards (352), 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions in a playoff game in the 38-7 win vs. Minnesota Vikings (1/21/18) in the NFC Championship
  • Became the first backup quarterback to win the Super Bowl since Tom Brady with New England in 2001
  • Foles’ 373 passing yards in Super Bowl LII ranks third among Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in NFL history

Have you made up your mind if the Eagles should retire the number 9 jersey in honor of Foles? If you haven’t yet, let’s analyze how Foles performed in 2018 during the final year of his contract.

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