Peyton Manning is playing over his head this year, which is saying something, but even his crazy numbers aren’t enough to separate himself from the likes of Nick Foles in the Hall of Fame race.
That’s right — Manning and Foles now share a memorabilia display case in Canton that commemorates Manning’s otherworldly Week 1 performance against the Ravens, when he popped the bottle against the side of the ship on the NFL’s new season to the tune of seven touchdowns and 462 yards.
The feat (seven touchdowns and no interceptions in one game) had never been done before, and it further validated the praise Manning has been collecting his entire career, and especially coming back from what some feared would be a career-ending neck injury.
There’s just one thing: After Manning did what had never been done before in the opening week, Foles — he of nine career starts and 4.71 percent as many pass attempts as Manning — did it in Week 9 against the Raiders. So Foles’ stuff is hanging in the Hall of Fame next to Manning’s.
The Eagles overnighted a box containing Foles’ game jersey and cleats as well as the game ball after the Hall of Fame requested the artifacts, and they are now next to Manning’s garb.
“It’s very humbling to know that the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be displaying memorabilia from the game we played this past weekend against Oakland,” Foles said this week, according to Yahoo! Sports. “I’ve visited the Hall of Fame in Canton before and have a great appreciation for the history of this game. As I’ve said all week, it was a great team win for us. I couldn’t have done anything out there without my teammates and I wish all of our jerseys could go there. This is a great honor for us.”
A strange honor, too, but still great.
