Arlington, TX --Nick Foles, as is the way of the world in the NFL, will remember the passes he didn't make on Sunday night, rather than the many he made in his third start. Foles completed 22 of 34 passes for a career-high 251 yards and a touchdown in the 38-33 loss to Dallas and certainly showed progress under center, in the shotgun and running away from Cowobys' pass-rush pressure.
"I felt comfortable. I feel more comfortable every time I take reps," said Foles after the game at Cowboys Stadium. "I was proud of the guys up front. They did a great job blocking all night. Our backs did a great job running. I felt we were pretty efficient.
"It just shows that you have to be solid all throughout the game and eliminate mistakes. We're going to keep working to do that."
The Eagles offense scored 27 points, its most of the season, and rolled up 423 total net yards and converted 6 of 10 third downs. The Eagles were a perfect three of three in the red zone ... and it was still not enough.
A Bryce Brown fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Morris Claiborne for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter gave Dallas a 38-27 advantage and made it very difficult for the Eagles to overcome.
In his third start, Foles was exposed to more of the offensive game plan. He threw the ball down the field more and more effectively than he had in his four previous games (one in a relief role in the first Dallas game a month ago). Foles led the Eagles to a field goal in the final 41 seconds of the first half, moving 58 yards in six plays. The big play in that drive was a 29-yard completion to Jason Avant on which Foles feathered a pass between defenders to Avant in stride.
Foles also had his first touchdown pass as a starter, a 15-yarder to Riley Cooper on which Foles audibled from one pass play to another, throwing at a more favorable coverage. It worked as Cooper made a leaping, one-handed touchdown catch over cornerback Brandon Carr.
"I felt like we took some shots a few times down field to try to stretch them out. They were playing pretty soft coverage so they gave us a lot of stuff underneath," said Foles. "I was trying to be smart with the football, keeping drives alive and being efficient."
Whether Foles starts on Sunday at Tampa Bay is the next question, but nobody wanted to talk about that as the Eaglss lost their eighth straight game. It makes all the sense in the world to keep Foles in the lineup to give him more experience. Michael Vick is scheduled to take another imPACT test later on Monday as he recovers from his concussion.
In the meantime, it's all about Foles and seeing what he has.
"I felt more comfortable. There were some throws that I missed that I can't (miss)," he said. "I'm going to keep working hard. I've got to look at the game film, take my notes, work on what I need to improve on, which is a lot.
"The only way to get better is to continue to take reps and play. My job is to worry about right now and think about the game tonight. The coaches will make all of the decisions. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm just going to worry about tonight. I'm dealing with the game right now, my thoughts and my emotions. It was a tough loss. I was proud of our team for the way they fought. We just have to keep working and stick together."
