Philadelphia Eagles need to stick to run game to stay successful

The Philadelphia Eagles running game came to life last week, and the team needs that to continue that trend if they want to keep winning.

The Philadelphia Eagles rushed for 218  yards in their victory over the Buffalo Bills which was the highest total of the Doug Pederson era. Philly passed a tough test, especially after the previous two outings (both losses) and the myriad of questions that surround the team. Then, there was the weather. The Eagles offense, spearheaded by the running game, was certainly up to the task, igniting the team to a 31-13 victory on the road.

The Eagles will have to continue this run-first strategy if they want to come away against the Chicago Bears, who feature what some would see as an arguably better defense than Buffalo’s.

Even though it’s been reported that Desean Jackson returned to practice and is expected to return, reports also state that he’s expected to play with nagging pain for the rest of the season. His presence will help, but it isn’t the end all be all solution to the Eagles’ problems. Sure, the offense under Carson Wentz has performed better when there’s a deep threat present, but Philly can’t always rely on the deep ball to bail them out.

Having the threat of a deep ball should open up the rest of the offense. Down the stretch, the Eagles can utilize the powerful running of Jordan Howard, and the explosive style of ever-improving rookie Miles Sanders to control the clock and keep opposing offenses and their struggling defense off of the field to shorten the game.

That’s a strategy as old as time.

Ron Erhardt, offensive coordinator for the New York Giants kept the high powered “K-Gun” offense of the Buffalo Bills en route to an upset victory in Super Bowl XXV. Fast forward to the present, and the San Francisco 49ers  are undefeated, partially due to employing the same strategy.

Granted both teams had good defenses backing them up. Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby are both finally healthy for the Eagles, a cornerback duo that the team won a Super Bowl with, so things may be looking up.

Back on the offensive side of the ball, Jordan Howard should be out for some sort of revenge against his former team. Add that to the possible return of Darren Sproles this week and factor in that Boston Scott is beginning to look serviceable, and the Eagles’ run game looks formidable. This is a game Philly should win.

Following the Bears’ game, the Eagles get a bye. That’s followed by tough showdowns with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. They, then, get the lowly Miami Dolphins before ending the season with a slew of division games. It isn’t the easiest road, but if the Philadelphia Eagles try this new run-first strategy, they can be successful. It’s the same strategy that helped them defeat the Bills and give the Green Bay Packers their only loss (both games were on the road). Philly has proven the sky isn’t falling. Now, they have to just keep running the ball.