Nick Foles led the Eagles to a 31-20 victory over the Buccaneers and finished with a 133.3 quarterback rating in the process. Photo Courtesy Philadelphiaeagles.com
Nick Foles wasn't perfect, but he was as close as you can get in his seventh NFL start and second career victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday.
The Eagles 2012 third-round draft choice starting in place of injured Michael Vick led a balanced offensive assault that illustrated just how effective Chip Kelly's innovative schemes have the potential to be against one of the more stout defenses in the league.
On the heels of last week's 16-25 197 yard and two touchdown performance in relief of Vick against the New York Giants, Foles elevated his game to a new level Sunday. The Arizona product finished 22-31 for 296 yards, three passing touchdowns along with a first quarter four-yard rushing score as the Eagles screamed past the Buccaneers 31-20.
The second-year signal caller finished with a quarterback rating of 133.3 and a 9.5 yards per attempt average.
It wasn't just the passing game that saw success against the Buccaneers. LeSean McCoy, rushed for 116 yards on 25 carries in spite of playing behind a quarterback that doesn't provide a viable threat to run.
Sunday was also a historic day for DeSean Jackson who caught two touchdown passes in a single game for the first time in his career, finishing with six catches for 64 yards and two scores.
Foles had the opportunity to make his seventh career start because Vick pulled his hamstring against the Giants last week, but his performance was more than enough to at least make it a difficult decision for Kelly when it comes to naming a starter next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and beyond this season.
Since the Eagles opening night victory over the Washington Redskins, Vick has steadily trended downwards. His completion percentage has decreased on passes five yards or shorter (which are the bread and butter of Kelly's offense). Vick is 5-19 passing in the red zone and has the fewest third-down completions for first downs in the league and his 54 percent completion percentage is good enough to rank 31st in the NFL.
In two games, Foles has thrown six touchdown passes to Vick's five in 4.5 games.
The bottom line is that the offense is more efficient, particularly in the red zone under Foles than it has been under Vick all season.
In an NFC east race that is ripe for the taking, given that the Eagles are now 3-0 in NFC conference play and 2-0 in the division, Foles made it evident Sunday that he gives this team the best option to win not only this year but perhaps in the future as well.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
