The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and not even the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is immune to that.
The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and not even the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is immune to that.
Quarterback Nick Foles struggled in the Philadelphia Eagles ‘ third preseason game, committing three turnovers in a lackluster 5-0 loss at the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.
Foles final numbers — 13 of 17 for 127 yards — seemed more than passable, but he was intercepted twice and also committed a fumble.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson could not hide his disappointment when he was asked by FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews if Foles would play in the third quarter.
“I’m done. I’ve seen enough,” assessed Peterson. “It’s very disappointing. He was calm before the game, I thought he’d settled in.”
Peterson later attempted to clarify his remarks, making a point that he was frustrated with the performance of his entire offense.
“We had six possessions. We had two interceptions, two fumbles. We had a sack safety, and we had a turnover on downs. That’s an offensive performance, so I was displeased with what our first offense executed,” said Peterson after the game. “I’m disappointed in the offense. I don’t want to single out one player, so don’t put this all on Nick. I’m disappointed in the offense. It’s obviously not what you want in the third preseason week.”
Foles also struggled in the previous preseason matchup against the New England Patriots, completing just 3 of 9 passes for 44 yards before he was knocked out of the game with a mild strain to his throwing shoulder.
The MVP of Super Bowl LII after replacing an injury Carson Wentz in December and sparking Philadelphia on its championship run, Foles did not seem overly concerned with Thursday’s sub-par effort.
“There’s time when I feel good and times when I’m making mistakes,” Foles told reporters. “It’s as simple as that. I just have to keep being critical of myself, keep watching the film and understanding what’s going on. I have to keep playing, keep going through it. Obviously, I haven’t been myself and I expect a lot of myself, but I have to keep learning.
“I’ve played this game a long time, I know how to address this and keep moving forward while keeping that positive outlook.”
Foles is drawing added scrutiny due to the uncertainly surrounding Wentz, who hopes to be back for the regular-season opener after tearing his ACL and LCL in December.
“He finished the season pretty well last year,” Pederson said of Foles. “We know who he is and what we need to do to get him ready to go, and again, we’re still pretty vanilla offensively. We haven’t done any of our RPO game. Those are all things that are part of his strengths, too, so we’ve got to make sure that when we put game plans together moving forward, that we’re utilizing his strengths too.”
