Doug Pederson finally gave in and leaned on the running game, and the Eagles got their first win in a month because of it.
But now what? Will he stick with it?
Pederson insists the Eagles are going to stay balanced. That the running game is here to stay.
Any time we stay balanced I think as an offense, good things happen and you're able to score points and sort of control the ball. I think you look around the league, the common theme of teams that have that balance are winning games. So yeah, I think that's a formula you can carry moving forward.
In falling behind the Giants Sunday, the Eagles ran only eight first-half running plays to 15 pass plays.
During the second-half comeback? How about 19 running plays and 18 pass plays.
Those numbers are remarkable considering the Eagles went into Sunday's game throwing 64 percent of the time - well above the NFL average of 59.5 percent.
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The newfound ground attack, with rookie Josh Adams running 22 times and Corey Clement five times, really helped the Eagles take command of a game they had to win.
"I think it's something that has always been there," Pederson said. "We've seen glimpses of that this season when we've rushed the ball for close to 30 times a game. That's been a good recipe. If you go back and look at the wins, we've been pretty successful doing that."
There's a very vocal crowd out there that believes there's no place for a running attack in the modern high-octane NFL.
And while it's true the NFL is primarily a passing league these days, take a look at the top rushing teams in the NFL along with their win-loss record and their average running plays per game:
1. Seahawks, 6-5 (31.9)
2. Saints, 10-1 (31.3)
3. Texans, 7-3 (30.5)
4. Ravens, 6-5 (27.7)
5. Bills, 4-7 (28.9)
6. Rams, 10-1 (28.7)
7. Patriots, 8-3 (28.5)
8. Browns, 4-6-1 (28.3)
T9. Bears, 8-3 (27.9)
T9. 49ers, 2-9 (27.9)
11. Cowboys, 6-5 (27.6)
12. Redskins, 6-5 (27.2)
Of the 12 teams that run the most, nine have a winning record.
What about the teams that don't run the ball? Only three of the 15 teams that run the ball the least often have a winning record.
Obviously, teams that are trailing are going to throw the ball more, but these figures are revealing:
T31. Giants, 3-8 (20.1)
T31. Bengals, 5-6 (20.1)
30. Packers, 4-6-1 (21.2)
29. Falcons, 4-7 (21.3)
28. Vikings, 6-4-1 (21.8)
27. Cards, 2-9 (21.9)
26. Steelers, 7-3-1 (22.4)
25. Raiders, 2-9 (23.5)
24. Lions, 4-7 (23.6)
23. Broncos, 5-6 (23.9)
22. Dolphins, 5-6 (24.0)
21. Eagles, 5-6 (24.1)
Until Sunday, no Eagle running back had gotten even 10 carries in four straight games - something that had never happened in franchise history.
Why did it take so long for Pederson to turn to the running game?
Clement has been hurt much of the year, and Adams began the season on the practice squad.
When the season began, Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood were the main ball carriers.
On Sunday, Ajayi and Sproles weren't in uniform and Smallwood got two snaps and no touches.
So it's been a season of transition in the backfield.
Maybe the Eagles finally have this figured out.
"Sometimes it takes time," Pederson said. "The run game, just like the passing game, there is timing, there is rhythm, there are all sorts of things that have to stay in sync. It just comes with continued work."
Once upon a time, Pederson leaned heavily on the running game.
The Eagles had the 10th-most carries in the NFL in 2016 with Ryan Mathews carrying the bulk of the workload. And during the Super Bowl season, the Eagles had the sixth-most rushes in the league, with Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. Of course, they often had huge leads and were just running block by the fourth quarter.
It hasn't gone that way this year, but the good news is that Pederson seems to understand that if the Eagles are going to get back into this NFC playoff hunt, they're going to have to maintain that same balanced formula that got them a win Sunday.
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