This article originally appeared at Sports Spectrum.
It had been 364 days since his last appearance, and more than a year since his last start, but Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles made the most of his opportunity on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
With starter Justin Fields and backup Andy Dalton out due to injuries, Foles’ name was called.
And Foles — who first rose to fame by leading the Philadelphia Eagles to an incredible win in Super Bowl LII after replacing injured starter Carson Wentz late in the season — led the Bears to a 25-24 comeback win on Sunday in the snow. The victory, Chicago’s fifth this season, was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham and a successful two-point conversion pass to Damiere Byrd with 1:01 remaining.
Clutch. @NickFoles hits @TheJimmyGraham for the TD!#WPMOYChallenge | #CHIvsSEA pic.twitter.com/yUX0ZXC4al
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 27, 2021
What a grab for the 2-point conversion. 😱@LookIn_Da_Miere | #CHIvsSEA pic.twitter.com/tF6GctecH5
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 27, 2021
Foles has served as the third-string quarterback all season, and he said when he got the call to start on Sunday, he simply wanted to do his job. He certainly did that, throwing for 250 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
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“I said it a couple years ago in a press conference … it doesn’t matter if you’re the first-string, second-string, third-string, you’ve got to know who you are as a human being and what your identity is,” Foles said in his postgame press conference. “It can’t be in this game. It’s got to be in something greater, and I’ve always said mine’s in Jesus Christ. I was a third-string quarterback tonight. I was just a third-string — that’s my label. But at the end of the day, that’s not who I am. I’m just Nick Foles. I just go out there and I play. I lean on my teammates. I go to work.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the first-string, second-string, third-string, you’ve got to know who you are as a human being and what your identity is…It’s got to be in something greater, and I’ve always said mine’s in Jesus Christ.”@NickFoles https://t.co/3uKTH0S2Jc pic.twitter.com/QIFwgB3Z0p
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) December 27, 2021
Last season, Foles replaced starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons with the Bears trailing 26-10, and he threw three touchdown passes in the final 6:20 to lead Chicago to a miraculous 30-26 win. He started from then on until he was carted off the field with a hip injury in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings.
