PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Nick Foles has three weeks to get in sync with his receivers.
Making his second start since MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore his left ACL, Foles had a tough time in Philadelphia’s 19-10 victory over Oakland on Monday night. He was 19 of 38 for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception, one week after he had four TD passes and no picks in a 34-29 win at the Giants.
The Eagles (13-2) clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed with the victory over the Raiders (6-9), so Foles and most of the starters may not play much or at all against Dallas in Week 17. Their next meaningful game is Jan. 13 or 14 in the playoffs.
Considering the offense’s poor performance Christmas night, coach Doug Pederson might want to let them work on it against the Cowboys.
“It’ll probably be Wednesday before I make a final decision on who plays,” Pederson said. “Right now with only two (quarterbacks), I would assume (Foles) has to play some.”
The wind played a factor in the passing game for both teams. Oakland’s Derek Carr also struggled.
“It was gusty at times, made it a little more difficult,” Pederson said.
After Ronald Darby intercepted Carr’s pass with 54 seconds left, Foles came through. He completed four straight passes for 21 yards. Following an incomplete pass, Jake Elliott kicked a 48-yard field goal with 22 seconds left. Derek Barnett sealed it when he returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown after picking up a lateral on Oakland’s final play from scrimmage.
“I didn’t play good enough,” Foles said. “I have to play cleaner, (need) pinpoint accuracy and good decisions on third downs.”
Here’s some things we learned from Philadelphia’s win over Oakland:
BIG-PLAY D: The Eagles forced five turnovers in the second half, making one big play after another to bail out the offense. It was a dramatic turnaround for the defense, which struggled against Eli Manning and the Giants last week. They held the Raiders to 274 total yards, 63 coming on one play - Carr’s TD pass to Amari Cooper.
“Last week, our offense was carrying us and we were playing like trash and this week our offense was making little mistakes and we had to come out there and make some plays,” Darby said. “That’s what football is all about, a team effort.”
THIRD-DOWN WOES: The Eagles were 1 for 14 on third downs and somehow still won. They were 2 for 2 on fourth down, including a conversion on a TD drive in the first quarter.
“We just didn’t get into a rhythm,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “Our defense bailed us out.”
MACK ATTACK: Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack didn’t have any sacks for the first time in six weeks, but he caused Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson to commit two holding penalties and have a false start penalty.
“You can count on Khalil,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “You put it down and he’s going to play well. He’s a fiery football player and his attitude and effort every day is unbelievable. He’s very consistent that way.”
BEAST MODE: Marshawn Lynch had 95 yards rushing on a season-high 25 carries. He almost became the first running back to reach 100 yards against Philadelphia since October 2016. The Raiders finished with 134 yards on the ground against the NFL’s top-ranked run defense.
INVISIBLE MEN: Philadelphia’s Alshon Jeffery and Oakland’s Michael Crabtree had no catches. Jeffery was targeted twice and Crabtree three times.
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