NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles may have found their winning formula. The sad part is, it only took 8 weeks to figure out. During their game against the 0-7 Detroit Lions, the Eagles rushed the ball and then rushed it some more. On the day, they ran for 236 yards on 43 carries. Great numbers but they also scored 4 times on the ground with an average of 5.1 yards per carry.
In their first 7 games of this season, the Eagles’ staff abandoned the ground game doing their best to make Jalen Hurts the next Tom Brady.
Before the Lions game, Hurts had 5 games with over 30 passing attempts. While that’s not forbidden territory for some QB’s, the Eagles have Miles Sanders and Boston Scott at their disposal in the backfield. But yet, the offensive playbook didn’t call for the offensive to wear opponents down or control the clock. They’ve gone into each game with a shootout mentality and their record proves that point.
But with the way they dominated the Lions, the Eagles may be on to something. With Sanders hurt, the starting nod went to Scott who ran the ball 12 times for 60 yards. It wasn’t Derrick Henry-type stats but Scott provided the spark he was supposed to.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts Must Show He’s Trustworthy During Stretch Run
When Scott needed a breather, the Eagles turned to Jordan Howard who ran the ball 12 times for 57 yards and 2 scores. And not to be outdone were the legs of Hurts himself who tucked the ball 7 times for 71 yards. If the Eagles can continue this trend on the ground, they could make waves with one of the easiest schedules left.
While the critics will look to the Lions and their 30th ranked rush defense, the point remains that the Eagles exploited what needed to be exploited. That’s how you win games. You attack the opponent’s weakness. Will they ride this wave for the rest of the year or revert back to their passing ways?
Having Hurts attempt only 14 passes will not result in many wins but if the team can manage a balance, the Philadelphia Eagles may have found a way to turn things around.
