Foles flops in Eagles' finale; is he ready for playoffs?

CLOSE

Martin Frank's 4-down territory for the Eagles' season finale against the Cowboys, with a prediction. Wochit-Martin Frank/The News Journal

PHILADELPHIA – If Eagles fans were hoping that Nick Foles would inspire any level of confidence heading into the playoffs, well, forget it.

Foles struggled for the second straight game starting in place of Carson Wentz.

Sure, it was a meaningless game as the Eagles had already locked up the No. 1 spot. And both teams played that way as the game was scoreless until the fourth quarter before Dallas scored on a 20-yard TD from Dak Prescott to Brice Butler, sending the Eagles to a 6-0 loss on Sunday.

The Eagles were shut out for the first time since Dallas beat them 24-0 on Jan. 3, 2010. It was the first time they were shut out at home since Dec. 5, 2005, a 42-0 loss to Seattle.

The Eagles didn't really come close to scoring. Foles played the first quarter, completed just 4 of 11 passes for 39 yards with an interception. His quarterback rating was 9.3. 

The Eagles will next play in two weeks in the divisional round of the playoffs. That's two weeks of wondering if Foles can lead the Eagles to a playoff victory despite finishing tied for the best record in the NFL at 13-3.

Nate Sudfeld replaced Foles to start the second quarter. It was his NFL debut. And while he had more success, completing 19 of 23 passes for 134 yards, he didn't lead the Eagles close to the end zone.

In other words, other than a 22-yard run after Sudfeld escaped pressure, he didn't do much to remind fans of Wentz, either.

Still, the game was worthwhile for the Eagles not only in getting Sudfeld some playing time, but also rookie cornerback Sidney Jones, who made his NFL debut as well. Jones was the Eagles' second-round pick last spring. But he had tore his Achilles a month before the draft at his Pro Day.

EAGLES: For 4 veterans, long playoff droughts are over

Jones spent the season rehabbing the Achilles, and was activated on Saturday. He got on the field for the first time with 2:26 left. He got in for his second play early in the second quarter.

Jones was on the field for Dallas' final drive of the second quarter and made his first career tackle. He started the second half, but eventually came out because of cramps. 

Other than that, the Eagles tried to make it through the game without getting anyone hurt. They missed a chance to finish with the best record in team history. The 2004 team also finished 13-3, but that team rested its starters for the final two games.

The Eagles continued to struggle on third down, too. They missed their first six chances after going 1-for-14 last week against Oakland. They finished 2-for-11.  

That cost the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Sudfeld had a nice rhythm going, completing a 12-yard pass to Wendell Smallwood and a 16-yard pass to Marcus Johnson. The Eagles eventually faced a 4th-and-2 from Dallas' 44.

But Sudfeld threw incomplete to rookie Shelton Gibson, who had his first NFL catch, for five yards, on the play before.

That was not enough to beat the Cowboys, whose only touchdown came on a 99-yard drive with 12:19 left in the fourth quarter. 

Blount gets a bonus...

LeGarrette Blount needed 21 yards rushing in order to receive a $300,000 roster bonus, according to a report by TheAthletic.com. Blount came into the game with 729 yards rushing for the season.

Blount was the main back in the first half as Jay Ajayi was put on the inactive list for the game. Blount got the carry early in the second quarter. He finished the game with 37 yards on nine carries.

...Ezekiel Elliott doesn't

It might not have been worth a monetary bonus, but Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott fell short of 1,000 yards on the season. He needed 120 yards on Sunday in order to finish with 1,000 yards on the season. That would have been a remarkable feat considering that he played in only 10 games this season.

Elliott, however, finished with 103 yards on 27 carries. It ended the Eagles' streak of not allowing an opposing running back to rush for 100 yards or more in a game. The streak was at 26 games. Elliott had just 28 yards at halftime. Few starters played for the Eagles in the second half.

Donnie Jones drops his pants

Yes, it was cold, as the game time temperature was announced as 19 degrees with 17 mph winds making it feel like 3 degrees. So Eagles punter Donnie Jones wore an extra pair of sweat pants, which were black, on the sideline to stay warm. He was still wearing them when the Eagles had to punt late in the second quarter.

Jones ran on the field, pulled off his pants, threw them to the side and punted. It worked out. The Cowboys were pinned at the 4 yard line. Later, he pinned the Cowboys inside the 1.

Eagles rest some starters

In addition to Ajayi, starters defensive end Brandon Graham (ankle), defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, linebacker Nigel Bradham, safety Rodney McLeod and cornerback Jalen Mills were inactive for the game. So was rookie Derek Barnett.

DT Fletcher Cox and S Malcolm Jenkins left after the first series and CB Ronald Darby shortly thereafter. 

On offense, three offensive linemen – center Jason Kelce, right guard Brandon Brooks and right tackle Lane Johnson came out early in the second quarter. The three main wide receivers – Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Torrey Smith – were done early, too. 

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.