With Nick Foles at quarterback, this team simply can't lose.
That is the only way to explain the team's 16-15 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field, a game they in many ways had no business winning due to a number of crucial penalties and turnovers.
Foles, however, would not allow it to happen as he led the Eagles on a game-winning drive against the best defense in the NFL in the final moments of the fourth quarter.
The Eagles now head to New Orleans to face the Saints next Sunday.
Here are some takeaways from the big win:
Nick Foles: Forget the first three quarters — what Foles did at the end of the game is going to be talked about for years in Philadelphia.
Trailing 15-10 with just over five minutes to play, Foles got the ball on his own 40-yard line. From there he went to work, completing three of his first four passes to get the Eagles down the Bears' 14-yard line.
Then, on 4th-and-goal from the two-yard line, Foles found receiver Golden Tate for the game-winning touchdown, capping off a game-wining touchdown drive against the best defense in the NFL in dramatic fashion. \
Foles was not without his mistakes, however.
Foles made a terrible throw with just over five minutes to play in the second half, lofting it up from his own 25-yard line into the end zone, where safety Adrian Amos easily picked it off. Amos was one of about four Bears defenders that could have made the interception. It might have been the worse throw Foles has made since taking over for quarterback Carson Wentz.
The interception was his second of the half, with both essentially unforced.
Foles started to heat up in the second half, taking the Eagles on a seven-play, 83-yard drive that turned a 6-3 deficit into a 10-6 lead. Foles completed five of the seven passes he attempted on the drive, with the two incompletions resulting in flags. Foles best throw of the drive was to tight end Dallas Goedert, hitting him perfectly in stride for a 10-yard touchdown.
He cooled down quickly, however. Foles missed Goedert on a crucial third-down play with just over seven minutes to play in the game, throwing the ball about two yards in front of a wide-open Goedert.
Penalties: On the Bears' first drive of the game the Eagles' defense forced a punt, and it looked like the offense was going to take over from their own 20 yard line after the punt rolled out the back of the end zone. A false start on the Eagles, however, gave the Bears another chance at a punt — and they made the most of it, pinning the Eagles on their own one-yard line. Penalty was on linebacker LaRoy Reynolds.
Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett made a major mental error midway through the second quarter, when he got into it with Bears offensive linemen Kyle Long after the play, giving the Bears a fresh set off downs. The penalty negated a third-down stop by the Eagles and gave the Bears new life. Instead of likely punting, the Bears drove down the field to tie the game with a field goal, 3-3.
Turnovers: Going into the game it was obvious that turnovers were going to be key. The Eagles blew a chance to make a serious statement in the first half by letting three turnovers slip through their hands. First, cornerback Avonte Maddox's interception in the second quarter was overturned on replay. The call was a close one, but it shouldn't have been, as Maddox made a great jump on the ball but couldn't complete the play. Next, cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc made an amazing play the end of what should have been a completion, ripping the ball out Bears receiver Anthony Miller's hands for a fumble — but the play was ruled dead and the Bears held onto the ball. Then, safety Tre Sullivan had a chance to make a huge play in the end zone when a pass from Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky went right into his hands — but he dropped it.
3rd-and-11: With just over 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles clinging to a 10-9 lead, the Bears faced a 3rd-and-11 from their own 19-yard line. To no surprise to anyone who has watched this team all season, the defense gave up the first down, allowing a 19-yard completion. The play was a backbreaker for the defense, as the Bears would get in the end zone just three players later to take a 15-10 lead.
Golden Tate: Tate made his best catch in an Eagles' uniform on Sunday when he held onto a pass down the field from Foles with just over six minutes to play in the second quarter. The pass came on third-and-six, and as Tate caught the ball 28-yards down the field, he was drilled by Bears safety Sherrick McManis. Somehow, Tate held onto the ball, completing a crucial third-down conversion.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
