Going into Saturday's NFC Divisional playoff game, Eagles fans seemed split on the question of which Nick Foles would show up.
The quarterback who looked like an All-Pro a couple of years ago, when he threw 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, then stepped in this year when Carson Wentz went down and beat the Giants by throwing four TD passes, or the guy who struggled mightily and looked fairly inept in successive weeks against the Raiders and Cowboys.
It turns out we got both.
Foles was not especially sharp in the first half Saturday against the Falcons. He started the game on the very first play by heaving a deep ball quail into the wind that fluttered far short of its intended target. But the Falcons were called for pass interference on the play. Foles missed on a swing pass and then later in the half missed badly on a wide open Trey Burton that might have been a touchdown. He got another huge break toward the end of the first half when another heave bounced off a Falcons defensive back's knee into the hands of Torrey Smith. That set up a glorious 53-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.
But Foles rallied in the second half. Bolstered by Doug Pederson's decision to feature more of the "Run-Option Offense, Foles moved the Eagles efficiently.
That and a ferocious Eagles defense led the underdog Birds to a 15-10 win. They will host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night in the NFC title game for the rights to head to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl. That comes after one of the wildest endings of a game you will ever see as the Vikes beat Drew Brees and the Saints on the last play of the game.
The Eagles will be looking to prevent the first-ever appearance of a "home" team in the big game by preventing the Vikings from hosting the game on their home turf.
It's obvious by now that both the Eagles and Pederson have embraced this underdog thing.
They'll get another chance this week.
The oddsmakers have installed Minnesota as a three and a half point pick.
Lane Johnson and some of his pals have actually gone so far as to don German Shepherd masks to embrace the underdog theme.
I picked against them - based largely on the belief that Foles would struggle, much as he did in the first half.
But if Foles can manage to continue to play as he did in the second half, all bets are off.
Bring on the Vikings.
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