Yet as Cody Parkey was left to deal with the boos from the home fans at Soldier Field and wonder just how he managed to strike the uprights for an incredible sixth time in the 2018 season, Foles could reflect on another demonstration of postseason heroism, albeit one that had more than a degree of fortune about it.
Parkey’s missed potential game-winning field goal will be the abiding memory from the captivating drama that was the Philadelphia Eagles’ 16-15 road win over the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card round, but his tragic cameo should not overshadow Foles’ star turn.
For much of Sunday’s encounter, Foles’ performance was spotty. He threw two interceptions, one a dreadful heave into the endzone to a receiver surrounded by four defenders that cost the Eagles points, but, when it mattered, with four minutes and 48 seconds left and facing a five-point deficit and the NFL’s best defense, Foles produced the magic that defined his incredible transformation from backup to Super Bowl MVP last season.
Foles, aided by some impressive yards after catches from the likes of Dallas Goedert and Nelson Agholor, calmly moved the Eagles down the field, hitting six of his nine passes on the decisive scoring drive, with his best saved for last as he delivered a pinpoint side-arm touchdown throw to Golden Tate off his backfoot with Chicago defensive end Leonard Floyd bearing down on him.
It was a pass and a drive that personified Foles who, replacing injured starter Carson Wentz as he did in the Eagles’ triumphant run last term, won three successive games in December to seal an unlikely playoff berth for the defending champions and has seen his mystique grow thanks largely to his remarkable ability to rise to the challenge when many would wilt under the strain.
“What I learned on those [playoff] stages is how to calm myself in a chaotic moment when [to] the outside world there’s a ton of pressure and just really simplifying it in my head,” Foles said afterwards.
“Getting in the huddle with the guys I trust, knowing it’s all on the line for us and we’re just going to get the job done. It’s just belief in one another. That’s just from being around these guys. That’s what wins these games in the fourth quarter. That brotherhood.”
It would be fair to argue, though, that the Eagles triumph on this occasion was as much down to luck and an admirable showing from an Eagles defense possessing a much-maligned secondary as it was to Foles’ composure when the pressure is at its highest.
Indeed, this was a victory akin to the Eagles’ Divisional round triumph over the Atlanta Falcons last season, when fortune was again very much on their side as a last-gasp defensive stand saw Philadelphia hold on for a 15-10 triumph. That success was, however, followed by two scarcely believable displays from Foles that ended the Eagles’ tortuous wait for a Lombardi Trophy and, after the football Gods smiled on them again in Chicago, it is easy to wonder whether a similar encore is on the horizon.
With a New Orleans Saints side that shellacked the Eagles 48-7 in November next up, a repeat offering seems a stretch even for Foles. But for now Eagles fans at least have another week to dream of more of the unexpected from their unlikely hero.
0 votes
