A throwback pass to Nick Foles in February helped the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl. A throwback pass to Nick Foles on Thursday night helped the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons.
While the iconic fourth down play from Super Bowl LII was dubbed “Philly Special,” the one from Nelson Agholor to Foles for 15 yards against the Falcons bore the name of what Foles uttered back in February when suggesting the call to head coach Doug Pederson.
“Philly Philly,” Pederson said when asked the name of the play.
While the name was decidedly Philadelphia, the play itself came straight from the Eagles’ opponent in Super Bowl LII. It was a copy of the same play that the New England Patriots ran against them when a pass intended for Tom Brady caromed off his fingertips harmlessly for an incompletion.
“That’s where we got it from,” Pederson said. “We just put different people in the game. They were in (one running back, one tight end) personnel. We were in (one running back, two tight ends).”
Pederson said they were looking for a spark on offense and the location of the ball on the field and down-and-distance situation were what they wanted to have in place to be able to call it.
“Honestly we were both thinking the same thing at the same time,” Foles said when asked whether he suggested the call or it came from Pederson. “I went over to talk to him to say this might be a good time and he pointed to the call sheet and I said ‘that’s what I was coming over here for’ so, yeah, it worked again.”
And it worked despite the Eagles only running it once in practice.
“We got one good rep,” Foles said.
The play moved the Eagles to the Falcons’ 26-yard line and set up the first touchdown of the night, a 1-yard run by Jay Ajayi.