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Tag: Nick Foles

Saints VooDoo Eagles in Divisional

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

NEW ORLEANS — The voodoo of Drew Brees brought an end to Nick Foles’ amazing magic act Sunday during an epic clash in New Orleans.

The Saints, who entered as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, took the defending Super Bowl champion’s best punch before turning the tables in time to record a 20-14 victory at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 

Philadelphia wide receiver Alshon Jeffery committed the evening’s biggest gaffe when he let a late pass from Foles slip through his hands in the red zone. New Orleans’ Marshon Lattimore was right there for the game-clinching interception.

It was a valiant effort by the Eagles, who had every bit of momentum surging in their direction during the first quarter. After Brees’ first throw was intercepted by Cre’Von LeBlanc on a home-run toss to Ted Ginn, Philadelphia marched 76 yards in seven plays to vault ahead.

Foles struck on a play-action pass by dropping in a perfect throw to Jordan Matthews for a 37-yard touchdown toss.

After the Eagles forced a three-and-out by the Saints, Foles directed a 10-play scoring drive that was capped by his own 1-yard dive across the goal line. New Orleans followed with another punt after looking completely out of sync on offense.

Lattimore may have sparked Brees and company with his first pick of Foles, which set up a 12-play, 79-yard march to the end zone. The drive featured a successful fake punt and ended with a clutch 2-yard scoring toss from Brees to Keith Kirkwood on fourth down.

The Saints tacked on a 45-yard field goal by Will Lutz to trim the Eagles’ lead to 14-10 at the half.

New Orleans then began the third period by forcing an immediate punt and embarking on a marathon 18-play, 92-yard drive. Brees hit Michael Thomas on a 2-yard TD pass to help put the Saints ahead 17-14. 

Thomas shredded Philadelphia’s secondary after intermission and finished the night with 12 receptions for 171 yards.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts after a touchdown carry by running back Alvin Kamara, not pictured, in the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Lutz split his next two field goal tries, and New Orleans’ defense stood tall when it absolutely needed to. Foles had driven the Eagles all the way to the Saints’ 27-yard line when a high pass zipped through Jeffery’s mitts and was snatched by Lattimore at the 19 with 1:51 left on the clock.

It was a bitter ending for Foles and the Eagles, but Brees will carry the Westlake alumni torch this week in an intriguing NFC Championship matchup.

The NFL’s all-time leading passer will look to advance to his second career Super Bowl Sunday when the Rams head to New Orleans for a collision of the conference’s top seeds.

NOTES: Brees is now 2-0 all time in head-to-head postseason games against Foles. The Saints defeated Foles’ Eagles 26-24 in a 2014 wild-card contest in Philadelphia.

Brees is the lone quarterback to have a winning record against Foles in the playoffs.

Philly Special Post Season

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

CHICAGO — Against all odds, Nick Foles just keeps on delivering in the clutch.

Playing against one of the NFL’s fiercest defenses on the road, Foles led the game-winning touchdown drive to help the Eagles upend the Bears 16-15 at Solider Field. True to form, the Westlake alum was calm and collected in even the most pressure-packed moments, as he fired a side-arm pass to Golden Tate on fourth-and-goal to put the defending Super Bowl champions in the lead.

But the NFC wild-card matchup had plenty more drama in store for both fan bases in the final minute.

After a solid kick return by Tarik Cohen, Mitchell Trubisky fired a pass to Allen Robinson down the right sideline to put Chicago in field-goal territory at the Eagles’ 33-yard line. Following a timeout, Trubisky whipped an 8-yard toss to Robinson to make it an even shorter kick.

What happened next was an unforgettable moment in NFL postseason lore.

In what has been dubbed the “double-doink,” placekicker Cody Parkey saw his opportunity to become a beloved Chicago hero push wide before striking the left upright and caroming off the crossbar and back into the field of play. The faces of Trubisky and Bears head coach Matt Nagy said everything — their jaws simply dropped in stunned silence as Philadelphia went wild.

Upon further review, slow-motion replay shows that Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester got a hand on the kick, which may have altered its trajectory. However, Parkey’s struggles this season have been well documented, and the final boot could have been headed for infamy regardless of Hester’s efforts.

It was a frenetic finish to a game that began as a battle of the two defenses. 

The Bears headed into halftime with a slim 6-3 lead following a dubious decision by the referees on a pass to Anthony Miller. The receiver clearly made the catch and then fumbled, but there was no clear recovery by either team. It was ruled an incompletion, and Chicago saw a chance at a touchdown wiped away.

Foles directed a seven-play, 83-yard scoring drive on Philly’s first possession of the second half that was capped by his 10-yard TD toss to rookie tight end Dallas Goedert.

The Bears opened the fourth quarter with their third field goal to pull within one at 10-9, and following a three-and-out by the Eagles, Trubisky led his team to a go-ahead score, which came on a 22-yard pass to Robinson. 

Down 15-10, Foles got the ball back and led yet another improbable march toward the end zone. The reigning Super Bowl MVP found Alshon Jeffery, Goedert, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz before hitting Tate for a TD that kept the Eagles’ season alive.

Trubisky showed some mental toughness of his own down the stretch and was more than serviceable in his first career playoff start, as he threw for 303 yards and no interceptions.

In the end, though, Foles’ magic was enough to catapult Philadelphia into a divisional round matchup with the Saints this Sunday in New Orleans. One former Chaparral standout — either Foles or Drew Brees — will guide his team into the NFC Championship.