You can deny it all you want. You can pretend it doesn't matter. You can try to move on.
But reality is reality, and the proof is in the pudding.
Nick Foles vs. Carson Wentz is still interesting, still relevant and, in all likelihood, isn't going anyway anytime soon. That much became clear once again this week when Brett Favre helped launch the debate back into the national spotlight, even though Foles hasn't taken a snap for the Eagles since the 2018 season.
It is becoming clear that the only way to start putting the discussion in the rearview mirror is for Wentz to lead this team on a prolonged stretch of winning, especially in the playoffs, and ideally in the Super Bowl. Foles won as the Eagles' quarterback. Until Wentz wins consistently, the debate will live on. With the Eagles currently at 3-4-1, fans are better off accepting that the Foles debate isn't going away anytime soon instead of fighting it.
But the Foles vs. Wentz debate raging on doesn't change the fact that the Eagles have a very tough, worrisome game on their schedule this Sunday — and it could go a long way in deciding how this season turns out.
It might sound like a stretch to say a game against a 2-7, last-place team is tough, but it isn't if you watched the Eagles play that team just two weeks ago.
"Quite frankly they had us beat," head coach Doug Pederson said of his team's first game with the Giants. "It was 21-10 with under five minutes to go in this game. This a good football team and we've got to learn from that game."
Pederson is right — the Giants did outplay the Eagles for the majority of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night Football two weeks ago. If not for a dropped Evan Engram pass, they might have held on for the win, and it would be the Eagles near the bottom of the division, and the Giants at the top.
Since then, the Giants nearly beat a very good Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, then went to Washington and beat The Football Team. No, Washington isn't good, but they beat the Eagles, so even that victory shouldn't be overlooked. Overall, the Giants have lost their last three games by a combined six points. Their last five games have all been within one possession. They are not great, but they are not the terrible team their record indicates.
Part of the reason the Giants have become so competitive is their defense. Since giving up 37 points to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, the Giants' defense has allowed an average of just 21.5 points-per-game. That is not great news for an Eagles' offense that continues to struggle, and looked terrible in their last outing, an ugly 23-9 win in which the offense scored just 15 points.
While the Giants seem to be improving, there is a good chance the Eagles come out rusty on Sunday. Pederson has many similarities to Andy Reid as a head coach, but dominating out of the Bye Week isn't one of them, as he is just 1-3 in four seasons after his week off. Add in the fact that they will be working in players that haven't played in weeks — like Alshon Jeffery and Miles Sanders — and it is hard to feel like the Eagles will come out on fire this Sunday.
That isn't to say the Eagles will lose the game. The Giants are 2-7 for a reason. They keep games close, but they certainly know how to lose close games as well.
But make no mistake about it — this is a tough game for the Eagles. Lose, and the race for the NFC East opens back up. Lose behind another bad game from Carson Wentz, and everyone's favorite topic will once again be debated both in Philadelphia and nationally.
Win, and the path to the playoffs becomes a whole lot clearer. Win behind a strong game from Wentz, and they can move on-step closer to putting the Nick Foles debate behind them — at least for this week.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
