A blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 might have been the low point of the Philadelphia Eagles' season.
Following the 48-7 defeat, a game that saw the Saints dominate the defending Super Bowl champions in all facets of the matchup, the Eagles were 4-6 and were being written off as one of the league's top disappointing teams.
But instead of allowing their season to snowball out of control, quarterback Nick Foles, who served as Carson Wentz's backup in Week 11, said the loss served as a rally point.
"That game has helped us become the team we are today," Foles told reporters Wednesday, via the Eagles' official website. "Going through that, that's not easy as a team to lose like that. But, it's like I said, there's never pointing fingers. It actually brought us closer. It can separate a team or it can bring a team closer, and it brought us closer."
Philadelphia went 6-1 down the stretch, which included wins against the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans, to clinch a postseason berth. Foles took over in Week 15 after Wentz's back injury shelved the starting quarterback for the final three games, and the defense clamped down to allow 19.5 points per game in the final six contests.
The Eagles' run to the postseason now sets up one of the more intriguing matchups in the NFC Divisional Round featuring the No. 1 seed against a hot team.
"At this point of year, you don't really need any more fuel," Foles told reporters. "We're out here ready to roll, we're working hard. We're definitely excited to compete against the Saints. I mean, they're one of the best teams in the NFL. They're a well-rounded team. They play well in all three phases of football. They do a great job, they're well-coached, they have great players. So, it's going to be a great challenge for us."
