Stats from a season ago and beyond are rather meaningless. But demeanor is another thing.
Last season, when he threw just two interceptions, Nick Foles was a confident kid leading a wild ride. He was the new guy at quarterback, and every time he threw, magic seemed to happen.
This season, Foles doesn’t look the same. He’s jumpy and tense. His throws are often weak or miss the intended target. And his mistakes continue week in and week out. And in Week 8, they finally cost the Eagles a win as the Cardinals took advantage.
Teams can only make mediocre plays for so long. Winning is the everlasting cure. The Eagles were 5-1 going into Sunday’s game. Foles had a week off from game action to clear his head, get his game back on track. It didn’t show on Sunday.
“I have to keep playing,” Foles said. “I’m going to give it everything I have for my teammates. Yes, I made mistakes but I will continue to work to correct them. We can’t have turnovers.”
It was the turnovers that cost the Eagles the game ultimately. Three turnovers, all at costly times, led to the Eagles demise and easily took a possible 14 points off the board.
The Eagles had done their best escape acts of survival from the mediocrity that has been displayed on the field. Foles and LeSean McCoy have struggled to play the way they did a season ago. And the frustration grows with each game.
There is a chance the Eagles could be 7-0. Instead, they are 5-2. They deserve to be 4-3.
“Obviously as a team, we had too many penalties and we can’t turn the ball over twice in the redzone,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “We can’t throw an interception in that situation; better off actually just taking a sack in that situation, and obviously the fumble hurt. Down in there, we’re driving the ball again but I think we were our own worst enemy today.”
The Eagles have been their own worst enemy several times this season. They’ve played an undisciplined game. Their struggles got the better of them. And it overshadowed the good from the game.
The good was a stellar game from Jeremy Maclin, the continued success of Cody Parkey, and even a defensive game that was good enough to win until the final drive.
Suddenly, the entire outlook of the Eagles season has changed. 5-2 is still a great start through seven games. But the performances haven’t been good at all.
So this week becomes another week of questions. Will Foles figure it out? How will McCoy bounce back? Can the Eagles cut down on turnovers?
The Eagles had a fairly easy road to 5-1 given the teams on the schedule. The road just gets harder. And it is the self-inflicted wounds that are doing the most damage.
“You can’t turn the ball over and be a successful football team,” Kelly said. “We got to clean that up, especially in a game like this. It’s so close against a really good quality opponent. We turned it over twice in the red zone, and you do that, you’re going to lose the football game.”
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
