We all remember the Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs in each playoff game last season. We typically forget it’s because nobody believed in Nick Foles. That was justified, considering how bad he was late in the regular season.

We also might temporarily forget that when Foles was cut by the Los Angeles Rams in the summer of 2016, he signed as the Kansas City Chiefs’ backup for a measly $1.75 million. He almost became a pastor the following offseason before the Eagles came calling, and it wouldn’t have been a big headline if he retired. He was out of our consciousness by then. It’s possible nobody would have noticed for a while.

Maybe someone has had a stranger career than Nick Foles, but it’s hard to come up with that answer. When Foles is good, he’s great. At times he looks like one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL. Other times, it’s no surprise he’s a backup.

Sunday’s amazing performance against the Houston Texans wasn’t the best of Foles’ career. That was last season’s Super Bowl, when he won MVP. Or it was the entire 2013 season, when he put up the third-best passer rating in NFL history, before falling back into obscurity.

But what he did Sunday was amazing too.

Foles threw for an Eagles-record 471 yards with four touchdowns and led a game-winning drive in the final minute to knock off the Texans 32-30. It’s not like Sunday’s story needed any more layers, but Foles came back on the final drive after being knocked out for a play when Jadeveon Clowney hit him in the chest, a hit that drew a personal foul. Foles’ biggest play on the final drive was a huge third-and-10 completion to Zach Ertz, which got the Eagles into field-goal range.

With a loss, the defending Super Bowl champions would have been eliminated from playoff contention. Foles wouldn’t let it happen.

The good part about having the most hot-and-cold quarterback in NFL history is riding the hot streaks. It happened in the playoffs last season. It’s happening again, too. Foles, who got another chance to start after Carson Wentz was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back, led a big upset over the Rams last week and was incredible in the win over the Texans, who were 10-4 coming in. Foles looks like a completely different player than the one who was underwhelming the first two games of this season, when Wentz was still working back from an ACL injury.

Whether Foles can complete the miracle and get the Eagles in the playoffs — they’ll need to beat the Redskins next week and get help — we’ll hear a familiar tale in the offseason: What will Philadelphia do with Foles, who will end this regular season as the NFL’s hottest quarterback?

Foles has a mutual option on his contract, according to ESPN.com. It would pay him $20 million in 2019. Philadelphia has already stated that Wentz is the starter going forward, which makes sense even though the Eagles have mostly played better over the last calendar year with Foles in the lineup. On one hand, $20 million is steep for a backup. On the other, the Eagles might find a nice trade market for him. Or they might just value him so much as a backup, especially given Wentz’s injury history, that $20 million isn’t that unreasonable.

That sums up Foles’ career. He’s the backup for the Eagles, but it’s not crazy to think they might pay him $20 million for that role.

That’s a story for another day, and before then there are sure to be more “Wentz or Foles?” opinions over the offseason, though we all know it’s Wentz. For now the Eagles are focused on getting another win and maybe squeezing in the playoffs.

And if the Eagles make the playoffs? How much damage they can do depends on which Foles shows up. Good luck figuring that out.

Nick Foles kept the Eagles season alive by orchestrating a dramatic final-minute comeback win. (AP) More

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 16 of the NFL season: