Nick Foles has seven touchdown passes through three quarters, tying an NFL record.
That may be the end of Mike Vick’s Philadelphia Eagles career.
Nick Foles put on a show for the ages in Sunday’s 49-20 win in Oakland. Guiding Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense, the second-year quarterback was simply phenomenal in his return from a concussion. Foles went 22-of-28 for 407 yards and tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes, three of them to Riley Cooper. His 158.3 QB rating was perfect.
The performance was so impressive that the FOX broadcast team couldn’t stop with the compliments. The cameras continually panned to Vick standing in street clothes on the sideline. At one point, they showed an Eagles fan wearing a No. 9 Jim McMahon jersey and the play-by-play announcer said, “You’re going to be seeing a lot of Nick Foles jerseys in Philadelphia … a different name on the back of those No. 9 jerseys.”
When Foles hit Brent Celek on a 2-yard touchdown on the Eagles’ opening drive, a historic day was set in motion. The play, setup by a 42-yard strike to Cooper, broke a nine-quarter scoreless streak. Kelly’s offense, which had been coming under fire in recent weeks, looked like the version that opened the season in Washington. The unit used a lot of two tight-end sets and rarely huddled, forcing the pace on a tired Raiders defense.
The Eagles’ offense finished with 542 yards — 414 of them through the air — and 21 first downs. They were also perfect in the red zone, going 4-for-4, after entering the contest as the second-worst team in the NFL in red-zone efficiency. Kelly’s team didn’t control the clock, holding the ball for just 22:06 vs. the Raiders’ 37:54, but they moved the chains at will and capped drives with points.
Will Foles be the Eagles’ permanent starter moving forward? Kelly will likely play the usual cat-and-muose game with reporters this week, but the answer is pretty obvious. Foles, who was lifted for Matt Barkley in the fourth quarter, had more touchdown tosses in one game than Vick has all season.
