Nick Foles – The Elephant in the Room

Nick Foles will start for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week One and it’s going to be okay.

Following Doug Pederson’s recent meltdown regarding his starting quarterback, Carson Wentz seems relegated to the bench for several more weeks.

Eagles fans are right to panic – Foles looked less than inspiring in limited preseason action.

On the bright side however, history does tell us that Foles performs well at home. See below:

Nick Foles has won 10 straight regular-season home games that he’s started and finished in an Eagles uniform. That dates back to the 17-3 loss to the Cowboys on Oct. 20, 2013. In those 11 games, he’s thrown 19 TDs and 6 INTs. — Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) September 4, 2018

However, even without Wentz, the Eagles should feel pretty comfortable with Foles at the helm for their first three games. Here’s why:

They begin their season with two out of three at home (see above, that’s good news for Foles).

Week One comes Thursday, 9/6 against the undoubtedly angry Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have retained the majority of their offensive weapons from a season ago and added 1st-round wideout, Calvin Ridley.

The last time Matt Ryan and Philadelphia met, the Atlanta offense mustered just ten points in an NFC Divisional Round loss. Ryan went 22/36 with one touchdown pass but a QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) of just 25.2.

Emotions will be high in a game that features a 2017 playoff rematch and the kick-off of the 2018 NFL season. If the Eagles defense can manage Ryan as they did just a few months ago (three total sacks), Foles won’t need to be a hero.

Week Two will feature an away contest at Tampa Bay sans a suspended Jameis Winston.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start. The greatest challenge for Foles will be a much improved Tampa defensive front. Vinny Curry and Jason Pierre-Paul will add to a expectedly improved pass rush.

This may be a game we see the Eagles rely heavily on their scat back combo of Darren Sproles and Corey Clement. If Foles can get the ball out of his hands quickly, this clash of backup quarterbacks should go to the Green.

Week Three and Andrew Luck may be settled in.

Who knows how quickly Andrew Luck and his new Frank Reich led offense will mesh. Week Three can often be a good indicator of how an offense will look for the remainder of the season.

Also, if anyone knows Foles and how to stop him, it’s Reich, his former offensive coordinator. Regardless, this team could be very good or very bad. Without sounding too obvious, that all depends on Luck.

Point being – that’s a less than intimidating lineup and there’s no reason to rush Wentz back.

Although Foles’ most recent performance wasn’t pretty (3 of 9 for 44 yards, absorbing three sacks in his rematch with the New England Patriots), there’s no reason to overreact.

The Eagles will be just fine (even with almost NO healthy wide receivers). Foles has faced scarier three game slates in his playing career. . .

For a look at game by game predictions for the Philadelphia Eagles, click here.