Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles will start this week against the Oakland Raiders.
According to Philly.com, coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Wednesday that Foles will be the starter on Sunday. Matt Barkley will serve as his backup.
It is not surprising that Foles is getting the nod this week. What is surprising is that the Philadelphia head coach who is usually mum on this issue, was forthright and named a starter before the week’s end.
“Nick did really well ... Nick's going to be our starting quarterback this week, he'll take the reps with the 'ones' this week, and we'll get ready as a team offensively to prepare for Oakland," Kelly said.
Foles, who suffered a concussion on Oct. 20 in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, was cleared medically on Monday and returned to practice on Tuesday, ESPN notes.
"Nick did really well," Kelly said. "I know he was cleared, but we needed to see him. I was really happy with how Nick practiced yesterday.”
The quarterback situation in Philly this year has been a nightmare. Michael Vick injured his hamstring in Week 5 against the New York Giants. Foles had the concussion two weeks later and last week Vick re-injured that hamstring. This left the Eagles no choice but to send in rookie quarterback Barkley for the second week in a row. He lost both contests.
The jury is still out on whether or not Foles is the answer at the QB position in Philadelphia, but the silver lining is that the team is on the road. The Eagles struggle at home and have not won a game at Lincoln Financial Field since last year.