Foles No Savior In First Start
Any hope that Nick Foles would be an immediate cure to what ails the Eagles flew out of FedEx field three plays into the game. The rookie quarterback was intercepted by DeAngelo Hall on his second pass attempt, and the Redskins were on the board moments later.
Reality set in quickly: This is a rookie quarterback behind a bad offensive line playing for one of the worst teams in the league. There will be no meteoric rise. It will be a struggle against getting buried.
Foles finished 21-of-46 for 204 yards with a pair of interceptions. He was sacked four times and ended with a 40.5 quarterback rating.
“I didn’t play well at all, I know that,” said Foles. “I know me as a person that I’m going to work hard, I’m going to learn from it, and I’m going to get better for it. I’m going to look at the film.
“If I struggle I’m going to get better. That’s how I’ve always been, that’s how I was raised and I’m going to continue to fight. It’s one game. Tomorrow is an opportunity to get better and I will get better.”
Here is a look at some things that went right in Foles’ first career start, and some things that didn’t:
The Good
— On the Eagles’ second possession, Foles recognized a Redskins blitz on third down and audibled to a wide receiver screen to Riley Cooper, who followed a caravan of blockers for a 15-yard pick-up.
— After a pair of early interceptions, Foles used the screen game to his advantage and orchestrated an 11-play, 61-yard drive that ended in a 41-yard Alex Henery field goal.
— Facing a 3rd-and-17 in the second quarter, Foles fired a laser over the middle to Damaris Johnson for a 21-yard pick-up and a first down.
— He converted a 3rd-and-5 early in the third quarter with a touch pass to Brent Celek over the middle. Henery followed with his second field goal of the day to make it 17–6.
The Bad
— Foles’ second pass of the game was intercepted by Hall and returned 23 yards to the Eagles’ nine yard-line, leading to a Washington touchdown. The pass was in a tight window but bounced off Celek before Hall came up with it.
— The pick Foles threw on the following series falls squarely on the quarterback. The rookie forced a throw deep down the left side and it fell well behind DeSean Jackson and into the arms of Brandon Meriweather.
“I’ve got to throw a better ball. It just comes down to accuracy,” said Foles. “I’m alright with the decision, I just got to be more accurate and have to really step into the ball.”
— Foles ended the first half 12-of-22 for 120 yards with two interceptions and a 32.4 quarterback rating.
— He was stripped by Ryan Kerrigan in the third quarter. LeSean McCoy recovered and the Eagles ended up with a field goal.
— He put Jeremy Maclin in harm’s way early in the third quarter with an ill-advised pass into traffic. Maclin left for one play after being sandwiched by a pair of Redskins defenders.
— Maclin and Jackson were targeted 12 times but had a combined two catches for five yards.
“I just wasn’t able to get them the ball today. Those guys are playmakers, you have to be able to get them the ball,” said Foles. “They do a lot of great things for us and they were running hard all day. As a quarterback I have to figure out when I get my chances how to get them the ball.”
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