Foles steps in to lead Eagles’ win over Rams
Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles hope they’re about to make another late-season run that begins with another big road win over the Rams.
Foles took over for Carson Wentz and passed for 270 yards, and Wendell Smallwood rushed for two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 30-23 victory over host Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Rookie Josh Adams also rushed for a score as the Eagles (7-7) kept their playoff hopes quite viable with a gritty victory over the Rams (11-3), who lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s tenure.
“It’s very satisfying,” Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson said. “Our backs have been against the wall for the last few weeks. Hopefully, this gives us momentum for the rest of the season. Our goals are still in front of us.”
The Eagles still trail NFC East leader Dallas (8-6) and sit even with Washington (7-7), so they will need help to get back into the postseason. But they’ll get an enormous boost from this performance against the powerhouse Rams, who fell too far behind to catch up.
The Eagles scored 17 consecutive points in the third quarter and then survived the Rams’ late rally. They got help from Los Angeles returner JoJo Natson, who fumbled a punt return that D.J. Alexander recovered with 2:51 to play.
After Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott missed a field goal with 1:08 left, quarterback Jared Goff got the Rams to the Philadelphia 18 with four seconds to play — but he couldn’t connect with Josh Reynolds on a pass to the goal line as time expired.
Foles went 24 of 31 in his first game action since Week 2 in place of Wentz, who sat out with a back injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Foles also took over the Eagles at the Coliseum last December, relieving Wentz during a division-clinching 43-35 win and riding that wave all the way to the Super Bowl MVP award and Philadelphia’s first NFL championship since 1960.
“That’s a guy with true character,” Smallwood said of Foles. “We’re just comfortable with him back there. We don’t feel like anything has fallen of. We know he’s going to step up there and do the job. We rode that guy, and we stuck with him [last year], and he went out and played for us tonight.”
Goff passed for 339 yards with two interceptions in the Rams’ first loss at the Coliseum this season. Todd Gurley rushed for two touchdowns — giving him an NFL-best 21 TDs this season — while catching 10 passes for 76 yards, but the superstar running back also failed to get out of bounds on a catch in the final 20 seconds, depriving the Rams of likely two additional shots at the end zone.
WILLIAMS STOCK RISES WITH BROWNS
The Browns’ playoff odds remain immense, nearly impossible.
Gregg Williams’ chances, on the other hand, have improved.
Since being elevated to Cleveland’s interim coach when Hue Jackson was fired on Oct. 29, Williams, the team’s in-your-grill defensive coordinator, has guided the Browns to four wins — two on the road — and has a team that didn’t win once last season playing meaningful December games, believing anything is possible.
Seven weeks ago, Williams was a long-shot candidate. He now looks like a serious one.
“He deserves credit for a lot of stuff that’s going on now, just the fire and the energy that he’s bringing to this team has been incredible,” Browns wide receiver Breshad Perriman said Monday, two days after a 17-16 win in Denver. “I feel like you can’t put a limit for the amount of credit you give him.”
Williams has won over his players, who feel his attention to detail and demand for accountability has brought out the best in them. He’s also endeared himself to a segment of battle-scarred Cleveland fans, who would hate to see Williams leave and prosper elsewhere after his successful substitute stint.
General manager John Dorsey, who is heading the team’s coaching search, will interview Williams for the full-time job once the season ends. Until then, the 60-year-old Williams won’t discuss his future.
ELSEWHERE
Falcons: Atlanta placed rookie running back Ito Smith on injured reserve with a knee injury, dealing another blow to a position already weakened by the loss of starter Devonta Freeman.
Coach Dan Quinn said Smith will have surgery this week. Quinn says it is not an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Smith, a rookie, was questionable with back and knee injuries before aggravating the knee injury in Sunday’s 40-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals: Another blowout loss has left Steve Wilks on even shakier ground as Arizona’s firstyear coach.
The 40-14 defeat in Atlanta to a 4-9 Falcons team left the Cardinals at 3-11.
They face the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Cardinals 34-0 in Week 2, in their final home game. That’s followed by the season finale at Seattle.
Prospects do not seem good. Arizona could well be headed to a 3-13 season, matching the Cardinals’ worst since the franchise moved from St. Louis 30 years ago.