Eagles QB Nick Foles' transformation into Super Bowl starter hits high gear vs. Vikings
PHILADELPHIA — How’s that for a metamorphosis?
In the last month, we’ve witnessed Nick Foles progress from shaky place-holder to serviceable game manager to bona fide playoff force and Super Bowl quarterback.
He helped keep the Eagles afloat when they lost Carson Wentz to a torn anterior cruciate ligament last month, then did just enough to get by in Philadelphia's playoff opener while his defensive teammates dismantled the Atlanta Falcons.
But Sunday, with his Eagles a game away from Super Bowl LII, Foles put the team on his back in a 38-7 blowout of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. He completed 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Foles' performance served as further proof that — with serviceable talent, a hard hat work ethic, strong supporting cast and (most importantly) intuitive coaching and game planning — anything is possible.
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The 2017 season has served as an exhibit in winning with second-tier quarterbacks. Minnesota, Jacksonville and Buffalo all exceeded expectations, reaching the playoffs with less-than-elite passers.
But Foles might’ve given us the most impressive display of all.
In three regular season starts after Wentz went down, Foles underwhelmed. The Eagles won two of those games, but the offense struggled to score and move the ball. Simply put, the Eagles didn't look like a team with a legitimate chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
Yet when posed with questions regarding Foles’ capabilities, Eagles players and coaches were dismissive. They'd offer a reminder that he hadn't played a snap in the preseason thanks to an elbow injury. Foles had attempted just four passes all season long before Wentz went down in Week 14. So essentially, the final three games of the regular season served as Foles’s preseason, and coaches basically treated it as such, scaling back the playbook to avoid overloading the quarterback.
Because the Eagles earned the top seed in the NFC, thanks largely to Wentz's MVP-caliber play, they received an extra week to prepare Foles for the playoff opener — a 15-10 victory over Atlanta in the divisional round. Foles turned in a solid performance, completing 23 of 30 passes for 246 yards and no touchdowns but also no interceptions.
But against Minnesota on Sunday, the Eagles took the training wheels off.
Early on, Eagles coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich did a great job of easing pressure on Foles and causing hesitation by Vikings defenders by using a heavy dose of read-pass option plays. When a defender sees the quarterback take a shotgun snap and stick the ball in the belly of his running back, his instincts tell him to play the run rather than rush the passer. But during those plays when Foles opted to pull the ball back and throw, that extra split second created by the fakes were all that he needed to find open receivers. Again and again, the Eagles went with these plays, operating at a crisp pace that helped Foles gain confidence and settle into a rhythm.
On Philadelphia's second drive, Foles completed five of six passes for 42 yards while the Eagles sprinkled in six runs for 33 yards, the last of which being an 11-yard LeGarrette Blount touchdown run. How’s that for balance?
From there, Foles’ comfort and confidence only increased. He hung tough in the pocket, ignoring the rush and keeping his eyes downfield to find receivers for key gains. He froze defenders with crisp pump fakes, and he used his legs to extend plays and buy his receivers time to get open — before dropping dimes to move the chains and hang more points on the board.
Foles basically produced at a level the Eagles would have anticipated from Wentz.
And that's a testament both to Foles for his perseverance and to the work of Philadelphia’s coaching staff.
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Follow Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones
PHOTOS: Championship game photos