Nick Foles Injury: Eagles quarterback could be out longer than expected

According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles isn't likely to return from injury any time soon. In fact, Foles' injury may keep him sidelined a little longer than the original timeline first suggested.

"Nick Foles hasn't yet been scheduled for a follow-up exam on his broken collarbone, although it is likely to happen next week, and the original prognosis that he would be out for six to eight weeks could be a generous one, according to sources close to the situation.

His left clavicle has to be "more than" healed because of the type of fracture Foles suffered on Nov. 2 against the Texans, one source said. The bone has to be strong enough for the Eagles quarterback to sustain contact, otherwise another blow could cause further harm."

McLane goes on to note that the best case scenario for a Foles return would be December 20. That date marks Philadelphia's road game against the Washington Redskins. It's the team's second-to-last game of the regular season.

But even if Foles is healthy enough to return, it remains to be seen if Chip Kelly will bench Mark Sanchez. The veteran quarterback has been up and down in Foles' absence, but if the team wins their next three games (at Cowboys, vs. Seahawks, vs. Cowboys), it's unclear if Kelly would make the change. On the other hand, if the Eagles lose those games and play themselves out of playoff contention, it wouldn't make sense to risk further injury to Foles if he's not 100%.

Foles may or may not be done for the rest of the year. There's still no concrete time-frame on his recovery. That could change soon if there's an update following his follow-up exam.

Foles' injury situation doesn't seem all that dissimilar to the one Aaron Rodgers went through last year. After suffering a fractured collarbone in early November, it was thought Rodgers would return to practice later that month. He would not play again, however, until Green Bay's season finale on December 29.

I'm clearly not a doctor, so I don't know how fair it is to compare the extent of Rodgers' and Foles' injuries. If there's anything to be learned from Rodgers' situation, however, it's that it's very difficult to expect a firm time table on a potential return.

In the meantime, it's up to Sanchez to do enough to help his team win. With some tough games coming up, it won't be easy.