There is never a good time to lose your starting quarterback during a NFL season, especially when you are an 11-2 football team with Super Bowl aspirations. However, looking clearly with a plentiful of optimism, Nick Foles and the Eagles offense are facing one of the worst defenses in the NFL and will be able to try a multitude of things while trying to figure out what will work moving forward.
Saying the Giants defense has struggled this season would be an understatement. The Giants are 31st in yards per game against the pass giving up almost 266 yards a game. Don’t worry the bad doesn’t end there, the Giants have given up the most touchdowns through the air giving up 26 touchdowns this season to opposing quarterbacks. Their secondary has also given up the 3rd best quarterback rating to opposing quarterbacks allowing the average to be 99.0. However, you can’t place all the blame on their secondary when their 29th in the league in total sacks with only 21.
In total this team has given up 3,454 yards through the air allowing quarterbacks to have a 62.5% completion percentage. Possibly the most eye opening stat about this pass defense is that they have allowed 49 pass plays to go for 20 or more yards and 13 pass plays for 40 or more. This is a game that Nelson Agholor and Torrey Smith should be chopping at the bit for.
Transferring from the Giants defense and moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles’ new starting quarterback Nick Foles. We all remember that magical 2013 season where Foles threw for 2,891 yards with a 64% completion percentage, along with 27 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 119.2 all in 13 games. The most recent Nick Foles we saw was 6/10 with 42 yards in a comeback win vs Los Angeles, but the most recent Nick Foles we saw as a starting was during the 2015 season when Nick Foles was with the Rams. Foles threw for 2,052 yards on a 57% completion percentage, 7 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 69.0 quarterback rating. However, I will not place the blame of Foles’ Rams tenure on Nick because Jeff Fisher was his head coach and look at the jump Jared Goff and Case Keenum this past season without Fisher at the realm.
Nick Foles has lead the Eagles to two victories during his time in Philadelphia. During the 2013 season, Nick Foles threw for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns in a week 5, 36-21, win vs. the Giants and then during the 2014 season Foles threw for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns in a week 6, 27-0, win vs. the Giants.
This is not an easy time for the Philadelphia Eagles fan base but right now the only thing we can do is back this team and Nick Foles wholeheartedly and keeping moving forward. This team has overcome every obstacle thrown their way, this may just be the biggest one yet. As Malcom Jenkins said in his locker room speech following the win vs. the Rams “We’ve got bigger goals. Championships. That’s it. Nothing short of that. No excuses.” With that type of leadership in the locker room there is no reason we shouldn’t remain positive and confident moving forward.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
