Divisional playoff game to be held Jan. 13
Time to warm up to idea of cold QB play at Linc in the winter
PHILADELPHIA » Nick Foles isn’t the first Eagles quarterback who’s made diehard fans wonder if they have angina.
And this is just a guess but he won’t be the last. The next time you feel chest tightness watching Foles do his deer-in-the-headlights thing, take a deep breath and remind yourself that quarterbacks generally just don’t play well at Lincoln Financial Field in below freezing temperatures. And that’s what it’s going to take to end the Super Bowl hopes of the Eagles, who have homefield throughout the tournament.
Since the 2013 season, only one quarterback has produced a passer rating of 100 or more in December or January in subfreezing conditions at the Linc. And it’s not Drew Brees, who led the New Orleans Saints to a win over the Birds in the wild card round of those playoffs with the mercury flirting with 25 at opening kickoff.
Brees completed 20 of 39 attempts for 250 yards and one touchdown on that bone-chilling January night but was inter-
cepted twice by the Eagles. His passer rating was an ordinary 75.7.
It was Foles, the guy a growing number of Birds fans love to hate, who gave the Eagles a 24-23 lead over the Saints with 4:54 left on a touchdown pass to Zach Ertz.
Foles connected on 23 of 33 attempts for 195 yards and a 105.0 rating but was beaten on a last second field goal.
And oh, by the way that performance by Brees was the next-best passer rating in an Eagles game in icy conditions at the Linc since 2013. We’re not including Dak Prescott’s 85.3 rating in a 6-0 win over Eagles substitutes Sunday. Sorry, Jerry.
Freezing games at the Linc bring passer ratings more like Matt Stafford’s 60.6 rating in a Lions loss during the 2013 South Philly snowstorm game, Derek Carr’s 48.1 rating in a Raiders Christmas loss to the Eagles, and Foles ratings of 59.4 and 9.3 in his last two starts at the Linc.
When the Eagles open the divisional round of the playoffs Jan. 13, the forecast is for a low of 26 degrees — yup, Birds weather. The only team the Eagles can’t play that night is the Los Angeles Rams.
Of the group of playoff possibilities, Brees is the quarterback to fear most, followed by Cam Newton, who the Eagles defeated earlier this season in Carolina, and Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons’ dome quarterback.
The Eagles match-up favorably with Newton, who isn’t nearly as elusive as in past years, and Ryan, who gets less mobile with each passing day. The Eagles can make those offenses one-dimensional. All Foles would have to do is hand the ball to Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount, and occasionally locate Ertz and Alshon Jeffery at the sticks. On paper those look like effort wins, Eagles fans ... providing Foles doesn’t become a turnover machine. Then you’re one win away from the Super Bowl.
The Saints are the team the Eagles don’t want to see any time soon as they’ve developed an outstanding running game with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the latter of whom is a stellar receiver as well.
Brees rarely tries to do too much, unlike the above-mentioned quarterbacks, and coach Sean Payton will have something diabolical up his sleeve. He always does.
The Saints also have that playoff win at the Linc hanging over the heads of Foles and the Eagles.
Foles doesn’t deserve all the criticism he’s gotten lately. He was decent in throwing four touchdowns in a win over the Giants, not so good against the Raiders on a short week, and uninspired along with his teammates in the loss to the Cowboys.
Whereas once the Eagles ruled third down, they’re just one for their last 17 attempts with Foles at quarterback. Third down isn’t just about the quarterback. That’s where Doug Pederson and his staff must find the plays that the quarterback and his teammates are most effective running.
“It’s us just executing,” receiver Torrey Smith said. “We had a third down today. I dropped the ball. That’s not Nick. That’s me. So, it goes into everything. There are other times where we may have protection issues. We miss a throw. That’s a part of the game. At the end of the day we all have to elevate our game and make plays. I can only speak for myself, but I know what it takes to win this time of year and what needs to be done. And what we’ve done the past two weeks isn’t it. We have the opportunity to have two great weeks of practice. I’m very confident. I promise you we’ll be ready to come out here and play.”
You should probably figure that the Rams will eliminate the Falcons, who are running on fumes. That would send the Rams to Minnesota, where they were buried earlier this season.
Also, barring a Falcons upset, count on the Eagles getting Brees or Newton. By then, Foles and his teammates should have their feet back under them.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a frustration overall, of ‘oh, gosh, what are we doing?’” Smith pointed out. “Any time you’re walking off the field with no points, you’re not excited about it. We have very high expectations for ourselves. That doesn’t change because Carson (Wentz isn’t here). We’re expecting to put points up and win ballgames. That doesn’t change. It’s about the main thing now, and that’s the playoffs.”
Above all, remember that quarterback-induced angina almost always is in your head. Quarterbacks just don’t play well in subfreezing temperatures late in the season at the Linc, at least lately.