Foles denied fantastic finish in possible finale
NEW ORLEANS — Nick Foles got the Philadelphia Eagles off to a fast start, only to be robbed of another fantastic finish by a veteran receiver’s uncharacteristic drop.
“Football is a funny sport, especially playoff football. It’s tough,” Foles said after a tense 20-14 National Football League divisional playoff loss in
New Orleans on Sunday.
“We started the game off hot, battled the rest of the game and gave ourselves an opportunity to win at the end.”
Indeed, Foles had the Eagles inside the Saints 30 with just less than two minutes left when his accurate slant pass bounced off of normally reliable receiver Alshon Jeffery’s hands and fell into the arms of Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, virtually sealing Philadelphia’s fate.
“I honestly felt at the bottom of my heart that when we walked out on the field, we’d been in that situation so many times that we were going to find a way to score a touchdown,” said Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, whose 16-yard catch over the middle helped get Philadelphia’s final drive rolling.
“We were really close. That’s how it’s been all year. We’ve been extremely close a lot of times, and it just wasn’t our year.”
After all, Foles engineered late, go-ahead drives in the playoffs a week earlier and last season in the Super Bowl.
Time will tell if that was Foles’ finale with Philadelphia. The Eagles might not be able to justify keeping him around as they continue to develop young franchise QB Carson Wentz.
They must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20-million option to keep Foles — likely as a backup — for 2019.
But if this was it, Foles latest performance won’t tarnish his Eagles legacy.
“We went out there and gave it everything we had tonight,” said Foles, who finished 18 for 31 passing for 201 yards, one touchdown passing, one short rushing TD and two interceptions.
“Everybody has to keep their head up high because that’s what it’s about. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I don’t have any regrets.”