This is about Jeremy Maclin, which means it’s also about Nick Foles. Maclin is having a good season. Foles is having … something else.
We’ll start with Maclin. He has 25 catches for 429 yards and four receiving touchdowns. He leads the Eagles in each of those categories. He has clearly emerged as Foles’ favorite target. That’s an important word for the purposes of this piece: target. Maclin has been targeted 57 times. That’s tied with Atlanta Falcons standout Julio Jones for the most in the league. Jones leads the NFL with 552 receiving yards. Maclin is seventh. Jones also leads the NFL with 40 catches. Maclin is tied for 21st.
Here’s where it gets interesting -- or alarming, depending on the modifier you prefer. Of Maclin’s 57 targets, only 25 were catchable, per Pro Football Focus. Maclin caught all 25. He has no drops this year.
The deep ball has been the biggest issue for Foles this season. On passes of 21 yards or more, he’s connected on just four of 31 attempts. Foles has targeted Maclin 14 times this season on attempts of 30 yards or more. Maclin has caught only one of those balls. It was a 68-yard touchdown. Again, Maclin has no drops on catchable balls. It’s hard to look anywhere but the quarterback position when wondering why the Eagles’ vertical passing game hasn’t been as effective this season.
“We’re 4-1,” Maclin said when asked about those deep throws. “At the end of the day, we’re 4-1.”
They are? If only everyone else had mentioned that.
Foles' accuracy issues this year aren’t imaginary. A year ago, Foles completed 64 percent of his overall passes. This year, he’s completing 59.1 percent. That’s a big drop. To put it in context, Foles ranks 33rd out of 35 quarterbacks in accuracy percentage with a minimum of 50 attempts, according to Pro Football Focus. (Accuracy percentage is a metric that accounts for dropped passes, spikes and throwaways.) Foles' accuracy percentage is 66.3. Only Chad Henne (66.2) and Drew Stanton (61.7) have been worse. That is ugly company. A year ago, Foles was 10th in accuracy percentage at 74.2.
It would be easier to excuse if Foles was taking care of the ball. He has struggled in that department with eight giveaways (five interceptions, three fumbles). The Eagles, as a team, have 12 giveaways. That’s the most in the NFL, and 66 percent are owed to Foles’ miscues.
According to NFL Network, since 1970, only seven teams have made the playoffs while leading the league in giveaways. Of those seven teams, two reached the Super Bowl. One team won. Those aren’t great odds. But the Eagles are 4-1. Maybe they can keep overcoming the odds all season.