Colts Will Debut Vikings Nemesis at QB in Week 16
Josh Frey
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If you’re a Minnesota Vikings fan, you likely do not have fond memories of Nick Foles at QB. He was the architect under center for the 38-7 beatdown that the Philadelphia Eagles delivered the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship Game, and now, the Indianapolis Colts are set to debut the Vikings nemesis at QB in Week 16.
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This change at the quarterback position comes on the heels of the Colts blowing an historic 33-point lead to the Vikings in Week 15. At one point, the Colts head a 33-0 lead over the Vikes, but by the end of the game, Minnesota had mounted the greatest comeback in NFL history to defeat the Colts, 39-36.
Matt Ryan, the QB infamous for blowing a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, was also under center for this epic collapse. While he didn’t necessarily play a bad game, completing 19-of-33 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, he was far from spectacular.
Because of that collapse, and an overall underwhelming season from the 37-year-old QB, the Colts are benching him for the second time in 2022. So far this season, Ryan has completed 67% of his passes for 3057 yards, 14 TDs, and 13 INTs over the course of 12 games. He’s also fumbled 15 times.
Earlier in 2022, the Colts had tried out second-year QB and 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger at QB. The Texas product boasted a strong arm and some scrambling ability as a Longhorn, but his two-game tenure as starting QB in the NFL did not go as well. In his two starts, he completed 61.5% of his passes for 305 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. The Colts lost both games.
At 4-9-1, the Colts would seem like a team content to just tank into the 2023 NFL Draft, but much like the NFC South, the AFC South has been extremely poor as a whole this season. The Tennessee Titans lead the division with a 7-7 record while the 6-8 Jacksonville Jaguars and the Colts still chase them for a potential spot in the playoffs.
Foles is yet to make a start in 2022, taking just two snaps this season. However, in his last start, he led the Chicago Bears to a 25-24 road win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 of the 2021 season. He completed 24-of-35 passes in that game for 250 yards and a touchdown and led a two-minute drill at the end of the game to score the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion.
In his career, Foles has started 56 regular season games, and his teams have a 29-27 record in those games. Overall, he’s completed 62.4% of his passes for 14003 yards, 82 touchdowns, and 43 interceptions. He also made the 2013 Pro Bowl for his 2891 passing yards, 27 TDs, and just 2 interceptions over 13 games. He made 10 starts that year, and the Eagles went 8-2.
Overall, Vikings fans should be glad that the Colts didn’t decide to make this switch sooner. A 33-point comeback likely would have become infinitely harder with the Super Bowl MVP at the QB spot.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.