Philadelphia Eagles must unleash Jordan Howard against Vikings

The Philadelphia Eagles have to resort to their run-heavy offense using Jordan Howard against the Vikings this week.

This week marks the start of a tough stretch for the Philadelphia Eagles. As they get set to take on their three-game road streak, the Eagles will head to familiar territory to take on one of their newer rivals in the Minnesota Vikings.

The last time the Eagles played in Minnesota, they weren’t facing the Vikings. Instead, they were in what was considered to be neutral territory since it was for Super Bowl LII. This time around, though, the Birds won’t have a balanced percentage of fans in attendance for them.

Instead, they will be facing a tough Minnesota crowd that is bound to get loud when the Eagles are on offense. This year, the Eagles have played two tough games on the road. Most recently, they faced the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

That game on Thursday Night Football proved the Eagles could be tested while they are on offense. Doug Pederson dialed up a masterful game plan, as he utilized more of a substantial run game, rather than making Carson Wentz throw all night.

This weekend, Pederson should resort back to that game plan utilizing quick throws, and an emphasis on power running with Jordan Howard. Before the Green Bay game, we looked back at Howard’s past performances against the Packers, and the results were decent.

As we approach Minnesota week, we did the same. And guess what? The results turned out to be even better. That further proves that Doug Pederson should dial up the heavy run using Howard once again because it can surely work for the offense this week.

Howard’s history against Minnesota

Since Jordan Howard played his first three years with the Chicago Bears, he’s had an opportunity to play against the Vikings six times in the past. Over that span, Howard took on 116 carries. He totaled for 545 yards and scored three touchdowns.

His average yards-per-carry? That came out to be 4.7. Now, it’s necessary to point out back in the second season, Howard was utilized the least against the Vikings. With only 19 carries in the first game and nine in the second, he failed to exceed 100 yards in those games. Ironically enough, the Bears lost both of those games as well.

Against the Vikings, when Howard exceeded 20 carries, he managed to rush for over 100 yards. Now, the Vikings are no cakewalk of a run defense — but they aren’t a force exactly either. Right now, they rank about tenth in the league for rushing defense. Since the Vikings haven’t faced the toughest rushing attacks, the Eagles could break through that threshold.

First, they have to commit to the run, though. Against Green Bay, that was the recipe for their offense. As Doug Pederson called for 27 rushing plays, the Eagles dominated in the ground game between Miles Sanders and Howard, with the veteran as the leader. This week, they need to commit to the run game and do the same against the Vikings.