Alameda, CA -- Nick Foles returned under center for the first time in two weeks, and enjoyed his finest day as a professional.
The Arizona product shook off the effects of a concussion and tied an NFL record by throwing seven touchdown passes, including four in the first half, en route to a career-high 406 yards on 22-of-28 completions in Philadelphia's 49-20 rout of Oakland in an inter-conference clash.
Foles -- who posted a 158.3 passer rating with the defining effort -- joined Joe Kapp, Sid Luckman, George Blanda, Y.A. Tittle, Peyton Manning and former Eagles QB Adrian Burk for the honor.
“We had a great week of practice as a team, and I thought the guys came
out and did a great job today. It was a great team win," said Foles in deflecting any personal accolades. "Receivers did a
great job downfield of making plays and I had time to throw, so with all
of that together, it was a great team win. We suffered two defeats
recently and our offense sputtered a little bit, so it was nice to get
back on track and we just have to keep building on it.”
Riley Cooper benefitted most from Foles' hot streak, collecting career-bests of 139 yards and three TDs on five receptions for the Eagles (4-5), who set an all-time team record for points in a road game against their Sunday foes after coming up with 10 total points in consecutive division losses to the Cowboys and Giants.
Asked if he'd ever done something similar at any point up until the NFL, Foles quipped "only in a video game."
DeSean Jackson led all players with 150 yards and a score on five catches, while Zach Ertz, LeSean McCoy and Brent Celek also notched a TD grab each.
"We tried some five-man
pressure. We tried some four-man pressure. We tried some max-drop, and
really, nothing worked," Raiders head coach Dennis Allen lamented.
It was an encouraging sign for the Birds, who head to Green Bay next Sunday still in the thick of the race for first place in the NFC East.
Terrelle Pryor was 22-of-41 for 288 yards and a pair of interceptions before bowing out late with a knee injury for the Raiders (3-5), who surrendered the most points in one contest since a 55-20 drubbing at the hands of the Ravens on Nov. 11, 2012.
Matt McGloin ended up 7-of-15 for 87 yards in relief.
Oakland's scoring consisted of two Sebastian Janikowski field goals along with an 8-yard TD run from Rashad Jennings and a late 2-yard score by Jeremy Stewart. Jennings wound up with 102 yards on 15 carries and 74 yards on seven catches.
Philadelphia scored on its first touch, as Foles connected with Celek on a 2- yard strike to cap an 84-yard drive.
Rod Streater's 66-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline helped
set up Oakland's response, a 24-yard make by Janikowski, but the
Birds came right back.
On a drive which bled into the second
quarter, Foles found Cooper for a 17- yard connection and 14-3 edge to
wrap up an 82-yard march, and the duo hooked up once again to complete
Philly's next possession, a 63-yard catch-and-run down the middle of
the field to make it 21-3.
Pryor's winding 35-yard scramble to
the visitors' 8-yard line setup Jennings' dash to the end zone on the
next play, cutting Oakland's deficit to 11 points midway through the
second.
But Foles increased the Birds' lead to 28-10 on a
15-yard scoring pass to Ertz in the right corner of the end zone,
and the Raiders' only answer before halftime was a 53-yard make from
Janikowski.
Foles picked up where he left off at the outset
of the second half, posting two more TD passes in the first 3 1/2
minutes on a 25-yard connection to McCoy and a 46-yard hookup to a wide
open Jackson for a 42-13 contest.
"I don't think Nick Foles
has ever seen anything on film that would give him any indication he'd
throw for seven touchdowns," Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson said. "Nobody thought today he'd
come in and have this kind of day."
Jackson's 59-yard catch deep
down the middle on 1st-and-10 from the Philly 32- yard line was the
precursor to Cooper's third TD catch of the day, a 5-yard strike for a
36-point spread which gave Foles a share of the league record book.
“Whenever I’ve looked at records throughout my whole life, the greatest
things about them is the guys you do them with,” said Foles. “It’s
something that is special for the Philadelphia Eagles organization. It’s a special moment for the
organization but it’s special for all of our teammates. We just have to
keep getting on the right path.”
Oakland's only answer to the onslaught was a 2-yard run from Stewart inside the game's final minute.
Notes: The Eagles had gone 0-3 all-time on the road at Oakland, and their
only prior road win against the Raiders franchise was a 33-27 OT
decision at LA Coliseum on Nov. 30, 1986 ... Burk worked his magic for
the Birds in a 49-21 win over the Redskins on Oct. 17, 1954 ... Foles'
previous best for passing yardage was 381, in a 23-21 win at Tampa
Bay on Dec. 9, 2012, and the most touchdown passes in one game was
three, in a 31-20 win at Tampa on Oct. 13 ... Philadelphia
recorded its most points in a road game since whipping Washington by a
59-28 score on Nov. 15, 2010 ... Matt Barkley subbed in the fourth
quarter for Foles and was 2-of-3 for 13 yards ... McCoy was
limited to 44 yards on 12 carries, with Bryce Brown leading the Birds'
rushing attack with 54 yards on seven attempts ... Streater ended
up with 98 yards on five catches ... Oakland claimed a 560-542 edge
in total offense.
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