This offseason, the Rams traded Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Nick Foles and a second-round pick. Neither team was overly-satisfied with the fit of their signal caller, but also found the options in free agency and the draft limited, forcing them to look around the league for solutions. It’s now the middle of November, and Foles has been benched for Case Keenum, while Bradford is likely to miss time for injuries sustained against the Dolphins. Let’s take a look at how each has performed through 10 weeks.
| Nick Foles | Sam Bradford | |
| Passing grade (league rank) | -7.4 (32nd) | -2.3 (19th) |
| PFF QB rating | 82.68 (28th) | 85.43 (23rd) |
| Accuracy percentage | 71.0 (27th) | 77.7 (7th) |
| Deep accuracy percentage | 36.1 (39th) | 45.9 (18th) |
| Accuracy percentage under pressure | 62.0 (21st) | 73.3 (3rd) |
As is evident from the numbers, neither QB has played well through Week 10. Foles is better at generating big plays, but Bradford has better accuracy in general and under pressure.
Foles’ biggest issue throughout his career has been consistency. Too often, good games have been followed up with terrible ones. Even in his outstanding 2013 season, Foles was dreadful against Dallas in Week 7. Overall, he has played four games with a +4.0 grade or better in his career, but another six with grades worse than -4.0. Three of those games have come this year, including the one that resulted in his benching against the Bears.
Bradford, meanwhile, has done a decent job in Chip Kelly’s offense, but his limitations aren’t going away. He remains inaccurate and indecisive on downfield throws, even if his receivers have let him down on occasion with drops. Injury issues have resurfaced, with reports now that he may miss two games due to multiple injuries sustained in Week 10.
The backups
Jeff Fisher is desperately looking for a solution to save the Rams' season, and probably his job, but recently-named starter Case Keenum does not look like the savior. Overall, he has a -10.6 grade in his performances in the pros (10 starts since 2013). There were some good moments in Houston, but passing under pressure proved a significant issue, along with accuracy in general.
For the Eagles, Mark Sanchez remains a capable passer, but also more than capable of crippling decisions in key situations. His -7.9 grade in nine games last season suggests he’s unlikely to seize the starting job if Bradford is forced to miss significant time.
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