Will running attack be there when Eagles need it? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When the Eagles hammered the Giants by 26 points last month, they ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 8.2 yards per carry.
Since then – for a variety of reasons – the Eagles’ running attack just hasn’t been the same.
Which running game will show up Saturday night? The Eagles could sure use their early season running game when they face the Giants in a conference semifinal playoff game at the Linc.
When the Eagles rushed for at least 100 yards this year they were 12-0. When they didn’t, they were 2-3.
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Yes, when they had big leads, they pounded the rock to finish the game. So that stat might be a little misleading.
But the reality is that the running game definitely wasn’t clicking at the end of the season the way it was earlier this year.
In their first 13 games, the Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per carry, 6th-highest in the league, and 162 yards per game, 2nd-most.
The last four weeks, the Eagles averaged just 3.6 yards per carry – 6th-worst in the league – and 100 yards per game – 7th-fewest.
Obviously, a big chunk of that was not having Jalen Hurts for two games. But even in the last two games he did play the Eagles averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. He clearly wasn’t close to 100 percent in the finale against the Giants and wasn’t even trying to run.
But the Eagles should be able to run the ball whether or not Hurts is playing or 100 percent. Last year, they ran for 185 yards when Gardner Minshew played vs. the Jets.
Part of the issue may be that Miles Sanders has been dealing with a sore knee and didn’t quite look like himself late in the year. He first popped up on the injury report after the Dallas game, wore a brace against the Saints and then was ineffective in the finale against the Giants, eventually giving way to Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell.
Those first 13 weeks of the season, Sanders averaged 82 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Last four he averaged 50 yards per game and 3.7 per carry.
Sanders had 31 runs of 10 yards or more in his first 13 games and just three in his last four.
So much of the Eagles’ effectiveness running the ball stems from the threat of Hurts running. Defenses allocate so many resources to slowing down Hurts it often leads to huge holes for Sanders and the other backs.
With Hurts out or less than 100 percent, it becomes much more difficult for the Eagles to run, and when you factor in Sanders’ knee you get what we’ve seen the last few weeks. Also, missing Lane Johnson the last two games didn't help.
The Eagles remain confident the running game will be there when they need it. Presumably, we’ll see a healthier Hurts against the Giants Saturday night and that will give the ground attack a boost.
“I feel like if we want to run the ball, if we need to run the ball, we’re going to run the ball,” Dallas Goedert said. “We’ve got some of the best five o-linemen there and when they can pin their ears back and we call run plays that we want to work and are going to work, I have full confidence in the run game.”
Interesting to note that in the season finale, with Sanders ineffective early, Shane Steichen turned to Scott and Gainwell, who got 14 of 17 second-half carries and netted 89 yards while Sanders finished 11-for-33.
This is why the bye week is so valuable.
The Eagles need a healthy Sanders - and a healthy Hurts of course – for this offense to function at a high level.
“We love the run,” Jordan Mailata said. “We’re always hungry to run the ball, dude. … It’s in our back pocket. It’s our Swiss Army knife right there. Pull it out anytime and it’ll be useful.”
