Inside the Iggles
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Philadelphia Eagles versus New England: 3 more ingredients for victory

By Hunter Doyle

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 03: Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against Danny Trevathan #59 of the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on November 3, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Bears 22-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 03: Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against Danny Trevathan #59 of the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on November 3, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Bears 22-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. Philly’s running backs get more than 25 touches

The offensive game plan right now is simple. Feed the other running backs if  Jordan Howard can’t go. Make sure whoever is in at tailback gets plenty of touches. In recent weeks, Howard has become the workhorse. When he gets touches, this team wins. The ground game is what this offense should be built around, but he may not play in Week 11.

With the offensive line the Eagles have, it makes the most sense to pound the ball. There was a rusty start with the guys in the trenches, but they have been exceptional in the run game the last two weeks opening up huge holes for Howard and Sanders.

The Eagles running backs will also get to face a weak Patriots run defense. Despite the hype around New England’s dominant defense, they have had trouble stopping the run, allowing 4.7 yards per carry, which is seventh-worst in the NFL right now.

They surrendered 109 yards to the 36-year-old Frank Gore on 17 carries, even though he played just 44 percent of the Bills offensive snaps. Gore is finally showing signs of his age and only has two touchdowns on the season. He’s only exceeded 70 rushing yards twice including that game against the Patriots and averages a mere 50 rushing yards per game. There will be some opportunities.

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