Nick Foles was a standout during Netflix’s 49ers-Rams blowout

Nick Foles has a tendency to shine in the spotlight.

He did it in 2018, when he led the Eagles to an unlikely Super Bowl victory against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. And it did it again Thursday night during his debut as an NFL analyst for Netflix.

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The Birds legend was loose and informative during a pre- and postgame show sandwiching the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-7 blowout of the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

With Foles, Elle Duncan, Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and former Green Bay Packers defender Clay Matthews III, Netflix shed the blatant self promotion that dominated its early sports broadcasting attempts and put the focus on the game and its setting.

That being said, it’s still a pregame show with lots of time to kill. Foles seemed comfortable mixing it up with his new colleagues. He took the opportunity to troll Irvin a bit about the declining popularity of the Dallas Cowboys.

Putting his hand on Irvin’s shoulder, Foles praised “America’s team — the Philadelphia Eagles.”

To his credit, Irvin didn’t trash the Eagles. Instead, he devoted some time to defending Jalen Hurts, who has been a frequent target of critics (including on Philly sports talk radio) despite leading the Birds to two Super Bowl appearances and a championship during his five-year tenure as the team’s starting quarterback.

“You wrap his accomplishments around Trevor Lawrence, they’d be the happiest team in the world,” Irvin said. “For some reason, in the City of Brotherly Love, that brother gets no love.”

While he didn’t bring a dog mask to Australia, Foles was the only member of the crew to correctly predict the 49ers would win, noting he “loves an underdog.” He also let his hair down a bit and downed an unspecified beverage poured into a boot, an Australian custom known as a “shoey.”

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“Who’s shoe was that?” Foles asked. “I tasted a little foot right there.”

Netflix’s entire broadcast, which NBC helped produce, was solid. Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly impressed critics during his debut in the booth alongside Noah Eagle. The footage was crisp and clean thanks to Netflix’s 4K ultra HD stream (for those on the premium tier). Even the scorebug drew praise.

About the only misstep was a Netflix-branded kangaroo hoodie the streamer had Foles, his colleagues, and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wear. The less written about that, the better.

But the best moment of Foles’ trek to Australia wasn’t on Netflix; it was on SEN 1116, a sports talk station based in Victoria. Prior to the game, Foles sat with announcer Gerard Whateley and watched his call of the “Philly Special” during Super Bowl LII.

“When we ran that play, we had no idea what it would represent,” Foles said. “It was aggressive, … we weren’t fearful, and that’s what radiated through our team throughout that 2017-18 season.”

Foles will be part of all Netflix NFL broadcasts this season, which includes Thanksgiving eve, two Christmas Day games, and a Week 18 matchup.

“These are primetime games. These are important games,” Foles told The Inquirer ahead of the game. “It’ll challenge me.”

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