Nick Foles throws a pass in the third quarter against the New York Giants. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles has waited for a chance to run Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense, and he made a good impression when the opportunity arrived Sunday.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback, Michael Vick, went out with a left hamstring injury late in the first half, and Foles came in to lead a long drive that ended in a 36-yard field goal on the final play before halftime.
Foles went on to throw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as the Eagles scored the final 17 points in a 36-21 victory at the New York Giants.
“I felt really comfortable throughout the whole game,” Foles said in his postgame interview (watch it on PhiladelphiaEagles.com).
“There was never a span where I was like, ‘All right, I’m ready to go.’ I felt good when I went in and we just needed to get things going, but the win was a team win. I thought everybody did a great job.
“The defense created a lot of turnovers. I thought the offense did a great job of holding onto the ball and getting the ball into the end zone after the turnovers, and special teams were good.”
Foles completed 16 of 25 passes for 197 yards. He connected on his first six attempts as he led the team to the field goal late in the first half, a drive that covered 11 plays, 75 yards and 1:33 off the clock.
“The first thing that happened when Mike got hurt was I prayed for him,” Foles said. “My job was to go in there, because Mike was hurt, and get a win. I had a great team around me to help me do that.”
Set up by Eagles’ interceptions, Foles threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek and a 5-yard score to receiver DeSean Jackson in the fourth quarter.
Foles had attempted five passes in the team’s first four games. His two-year career totals are now 180 of 295 for 1,945 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Vick’s status for next Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay wasn’t immediately known. Kelly said Vick, if healthy, is his starting quarterback. But Vick is often-injured, so Foles’ next opportunity, is not vs. the Buccaneers, might not be that far away.
Nick Foles celebrates with DeSean Jackson after their touchdown connection in the fourth quarter. Photo by Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports