Nick Foles tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes in the Eagles 49-20 win over the Raiders. Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com
When Nick Foles exited the Eagles, 17-3, loss to the Dallas Cowboys two
weeks ago, it seemed that Foles had failed in the biggest game of his life. Two
weeks later, Foles was back in the starting position with a lot to prove.
His performance on Sunday was
that of a legend.
Foles threw for 406 yards and
completed seven touchdown passes without an interception, tying an NFL record,
in the Eagles 49-20 win over the Oakland
Raiders.
The Eagles were off and running
from the start, but the Raiders kept the game close in the early stages. Foles
first touchdown pass came with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter as he
connected with Brent Celek on a
two-yard strike.
The Raiders would cut into the
lead with a 24-yard field goal by Sebastian
Janikowski late in the first.
The Eagles turned it on in the
second. Foles hit Riley Cooper twice
for touchdowns in the first five minutes of the quarter. The first was from 17
yards out. The second was a 63-yard strike.
Oakland cut into the lead midway
through the quarter with an eight-yard touchdown run by Rashad Jennings. The Eagles
answered just over three minutes later with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Foles
to Zach Ertz. Janikowski kicked a
53-yard field goal to close out the half with the Eagles ahead, 28-13.
Foles continued to put on a
clinic as the second half began. Just 39 seconds into the half, he connected
with LeSean McCoy for a 25-yard
touchdown. On the Eagles next offensive play just 2:40 later, Foles hit DeSean Jackson for a 46-yard touchdown.
With 4:34 remaining in the
third, Foles found Cooper in the end zone for his third touchdown catch of the
game from five-yards out. That was Foles’ seventh touchdown pass of the game,
which tied an NFL record.
Foles attempted his chance at a
record-setting eighth touchdown pass on two more drives that stalled in Eagles
territory. Matt Barkley played the
remainder of the game at quarterback.
The Raiders added a two-yard
touchdown run by Jeremy Stewart with
52 seconds left in the game as their only second-half score.
The Eagles picked up a total of
542 yards of offense on the day including 414 yards passing, 406 from Foles.
In the midst of Foles’ career
game, it was also a career day for Riley Cooper. Cooper caught five passes,
three for touchdowns, and accumulated 139 yards. DeSean Jackson added 150 yards
receiving on five catches.
Defensively, the Eagles forced two turnovers, interceptions by Connor Barwin and Bradley Fletcher, while limiting the Raiders to 20 points on the
day. The Raiders did total 560 yards of offense, but also ran 92 plays
offensively, 35 more than the Eagles.
Foles joins a group of seven
quarterbacks with seven passing touchdowns in a single game, but is one of just
three to throw seven touchdowns without an interception, joining Y.A. Tittle and Peyton Manning. Manning completed the feat in the first game of the
2013 NFL season.
The win also improved the Eagles
to 4-5 on the season, matching last season’s win total. They also kept pace
with the Cowboys who still sit a game above the Eagles in the NFC East
standings.
The Eagles remain on the road
next week as they travel to face the Green Bay Packers. They return home to
face the Washington Redskins in two weeks before going into the bye week.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Look for his weekly
Monday Review after every Eagles game. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
