Nick Foles looks to finish what he started with Eagles in 2013

With Carson Wentz done for the season with a torn ACL, the Philadelphia Eagles will hand the keys to Nick Foles at quarterback, who was under center for the team four years ago.

If you would have been told after the 2013 season that Nick Foles would be the starting quarterback for an 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles team in 2017, it may not have sounded too crazy. Foles was coming off a historic season, in which he led the Eagles to seven wins in their final eight games along with a playoff berth.

It is just the how Foles and the Eagles got to this point that may have been a bit unpredictable.

Let`s travel all the way back to Oct. 6, 2013, when the Eagles were in North Jersey to take on the New York Giants. Starting quarterback Michael Vick suffered a hamstring injury early in the game and in came Foles for his first appearance of what would become a historic run. Foles played nearly perfect football in that game to lead the Eagles to a 36-21 victory against their NFC East foe.

That was just the start of what would be a Pro Bowl season for the second-year quarterback out of Arizona. Foles would follow up that game with another stellar performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

After a two week period against the Giants and Dallas Cowboys that saw the Eagles score zero offensive touchdowns and Foles suffering a concussion, the Eagles quarterback and his teammates would go on a run that not many have seen before.

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One of the greatest runs in Eagles history began Week 9 of the 2013 season against the Oakland Raiders. In that game, we saw Foles tie the NFL record with seven touchdown passes. After this game, Foles and the Eagles would not look back.

Philadelphia won seven of their last eight games that season, with their only bump coming with a defensive meltdown against Matt Cassel and the Minnesota Vikings.

Foles helped lead the Eagles to a 10-6 record after sitting at 3-5 halfway through the season. He finished the season throwing 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions, which at the time, that 13.5-1 ratio was the best in NFL history. He also led the league in passer rating at 119.2.

This incredible second half run gave the Eagles their first NFC East Championship since 2010, as they clinched it with a thrilling 24-22 victory in Dallas. It looked like Foles was Chip Kelly‘s future quarterback in Philadelphia.

With the New Orleans Saints coming to town for the first playoff game, the Eagles looked to continue riding Foles hot hand to a possible deep playoff run. It looked like Foles would lead the Eagles to a thrilling victory, as he left the field up 24-23. But after a horse collar call on the kickoff and a defensive meltdown, the Saints kicked the game winning field goal, as time expired to top the Eagles 26-24.

It seemed like that game was the one that got away. The red hot Eagles were supposed to roll through that game and into a possible NFC Championship game berth, but it would never happen. Ever since that night in January 2014, the Eagles have been looking to get back to the postseason.

The Eagles moved on from Foles in 2015 when he was traded for Sam Bradford. A new head coach and new quarterback in Carson Wentz later, the Eagles were looking for a fresh start to get back to the playoffs and possibly make a super bowl run.

Well in 2017, it looked like the Eagles were primed to be the class of the NFC. They have clinched the NFC East for the first time since 2013, and could have home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The postseason ride though, will happen without their MVP quarterback in Wentz, as he tore his ACL this past Sunday against the Rams.

After singing back in March, the 2017 backup Foles will be handed the keys once again to lead the charge into the postseason. Having experience playing in December and January football should help Foles, as he looks to continue this run Philadelphia is on.

Now, four years after it all began, Foles is back to where it all started. Once the franchise savior in 2013, Foles is looking to hold his own on a very talented football team, one that is probably better than the one he played on in 2013.

This team has Super Bowl aspirations, and just because they will be without their starting quarterback, it is not over yet. The Eagles have a lot of good going for them, and Foles will look to regain that form he had back in 2013 to lead the charge going forward.

Next: Wentz Weekly: Carson shines for the Eagles prior to leaving with injury

Just four years later, the Eagles and Foles have come full circle. Obviously this is not the ideal situation, but this team has shown to and will be able to rally together down the stretch and into the postseason. Now at the helm, Foles will look to finish what he started in 2013, and just remember, Foles left the field then with a lead.