Patriots thank Nick Foles for beating Texans

Less than a year after beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Nick Foles and the Eagles helped them out in a big way by beating the Texans — and the Pats went so far as to thank him for it.

Well, this is something you could call a little bit awkward.

Though it might be difficult for New England Patriots fans to swallow their pride and admit it, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles did them a favor on Sunday. Foles, who is once again filling in for the injured Carson Wentz in eerily similar fashion to the end of last season, led the Eagles to a 32-30 victory over the Houston Texans — most notably leading a last-minute field goal drive to set up Jake Elliott for the game-winner.

This was significant for the Patriots, as Houston’s loss moved New England into the No. 2 spot in the AFC, and thus has them in line for a first round bye in the playoffs. It’s just a little bit awkward because, well, it was Foles — not a popular figure in the Boston area — who helped them out.

Even though the Patriots have won five championships since 2001, their fans certainly haven’t forgotten what happen just under 11 months ago. They were on the verge of winning their third Super Bowl in four years — just like they did in the early 2000s, during Tom Brady’s first four years as New England’s starting quarterback — until Foles shattered their hearts in Super Bowl LII, being named Super Bowl MVP in Philadelphia’s 41-33 victory.

Foles was on the receiving end of the infamous “Philly Special,” a phrase that will be forever hated in New England.

This year, the Patriots are once again hoping to secure another first-round bye, which they’ve done in each of the last eight seasons. Thanks to Foles and his heroics against the Texans, they are one step closer to doing that.

But even though the official Patriots Twitter account was willing to send a public thank you to Foles, don’t expect Patriots fans to be quite so friendly about it.