It wasn't all on Nick Foles' shoulders tonight.
Bolstered by the team's best rushing performance of the season, quarterback Nick Foles was able to distribute the ball around to seven different receivers as he completed 21 of 34 attempts for 248 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Eagles' 27-0 victory over the Giants. Foles was red hot in the first half as he went 14 of 20 for 177 yards and two touchdowns before throwing an interception to Giants safety Antrel Rolle late in the second quarter.
"The big thing coming into the game was that we really wanted to establish the run and we really wanted to move the ball and score early," Foles said after the win. "We haven't done a good job of scoring early and I felt like we really got things going early."
The first touchdown was a magnificent throw and catch with tight end Zach Ertz. The Eagles lined up with three receivers to the left side of the formation and Ertz was in-line to the right. Ertz was isolated against cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as he ran a corner route into the end zone. Foles perfectly placed the pass and Ertz showed great focus and concentration to make it 10-0 in the first quarter with the 15-yard score.
The second touchdown was a little bit easier. With the run game humming along, the Eagles caught the Giants with a play-action pass that left fellow tight end James Casey wide open for a 26-yard score midway through the second quarter.
"That really helps us out," Foles said of the run game. "It helps out with the play-calling because you're inside the chains. I thought we did a great job tonight running the ball."
Foles' two interceptions brought his season total to seven. He is not concerned as it will give him something to focus on during the bye week.
"I will correct those. I will fix it, and that's just part of football. You want to keep being aggressive," Foles said. "I made a couple of dumb mistakes with the football that I will work on. I can fix those things, and that's one of the things I love about this game. You can fix things."
Foles' second interception was picked off by cornerback Zack Bowman and returned to the Eagles' 21-yard line. On this night, with the way the defense was playing, the Eagles were able to overcome Foles' miscue and keep the Giants off the scoreboard as quarterback Eli Manning's pass on fourth-and-goal fell incomplete.
"The defense did an outstanding job of holding a team that's been putting up 30 points normally to nothing," Foles said. "I'm really proud of them. Special teams made some big plays like they have been, so it was a great team win."
And with the win, the Eagles won their eighth-straight regular season home game. Foles is now 13-3 as a starting quarterback since last season. The Eagles go into the bye week tied for first place in the NFC East with a 5-1 mark.
"It's a great position to be in," Foles said. "We still have a lot of season left to go and I still have lots of things to improve on, which excites me," Foles said. "You all know how I am. It will be great to have this bye week to get healthy, get some rest, recoup and get ready to go."
