The
Chicago Bears certainly won't be let off the hook to start their first playoff run in eight years. They will draw the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round next Sunday at Soldier Field. Despite their 9-7 record, the Eagles have won five of their last six games. They've got lots of momentum and a big reason why is the inspired play of
Nick Foles.
Over the past five weeks, the veteran backup has once again seemed to regain the form that made him a Super Bowl MVP. He has seven touchdown passes to just three interceptions during the past four games. The team has a firm belief that he can repeat what he did last year and carry them to the Super Bowl.
A lot of Eagles fans are already proclaiming he'll take care of things in Chicago and they'll move on. Except the NFL doesn't work that way. Not only will Foles be playing hurt next week, having bruised his ribs in the win over Washington. He'll also be going against a defensive coordinator who's had his number.
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Vic Fangio has given Nick Foles many problems in the past
Foles may not have a keen memory of his encounters with Vic Fangio, but he should. Each time that has happened, the quarterback has endured one of the worse performances of his long career. The first came in 2014. Foles was coming off his Pro Bowl year where he threw 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions for the Eagles. Philadelphia had won three straight to start the year and went to San Francisco in high spirits.
Fangio ended that. Foles threw for just 195 yards on 43 attempts with two interceptions in a 26-21 defeat. He never found his rhythm again after that and was gone from the team the next year. Sure enough, that wasn't the end of the story. Foles would end up starting for the St. Louis Rams in 2015. He wasn't doing too bad under difficult circumstances either.
He was 4-4 with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The Rams were hosting the Bears with a big chance to climb back into the division race. Foles couldn't deliver. He threw for just 200 yards with an interception, completing 47.22% of his passes. In total, his two games against Fangio have netted a 47.18 passer rating.
Not only that but Foles' "miracle" surge down the stretch was greatly aided by playing some weak pass defense including Houston (28th), Washington (15th), and Tampa Bay (26th). The Bears rank 7th. Given the track records to this point, it's fair to believe that Foles may run out of magic in Chicago.
