Should these Philadelphia Eagles running backs share some blame?

The Philadelphia Eagles let the win get out of their hands in Week 1.

How many of you thought the Philadelphia Eagles were going to pull a shutout against the Washington Football Team during that first half? It seemed that way when the ‘Birds’ got out to a 17-0 lead in the middle of the second quarter. Then, it happened.

Cornerback Fabian Moreau intercepted a pass that quarterback Carson Wentz intended for rookie wide receiver Jalen Reagor. Things went downhill from there for the ‘Birds’ as Washington didn’t just stage a comeback. They earned their first win of a young 2020 NFL season.

The ride back to Philadelphia might not have been pleasant one as there is plenty of blame to spread around. The Eagles’ offensive line deserves most of it, and deservingly so. Still, Washington’s defensive line deserves credit for causing disruption all game long and sacking ’11’ a whopping eight times.

Looking back, the Eagles offensive line didn’t match up well against Washington’s front four. Right tackle Lane Johnson was out and asking Nate Herbig and rookie Jack Driscoll to take over the right side of their offensive line might’ve been too much. It wasn’t just the pass protection that was an issue. The running game suffered as well, but how much of that was their fault?

The Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t get their running game going on Sunday.

Blaming the Eagles offensive line for the lack of success they had running the ball would be irresponsible. Running back Boston Scott couldn’t do much in Miles Sanders‘ absence and neither could Corey Clement. One could ask about their opportunities, however.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson ran the ball nine times on first down, and the Eagles’ tailbacks earned 16 total carries. Scott had nine of them for a total of 35 yards while Clement was given six attempts. 19 yards were the result of that. Jason Huntley got the other carry (one yard), and if you want, you can throw Carson Wentz’s two-yard scramble in there. As a team, the ‘Birds’ produced just 57 yards on the ground, but again, is that their fault, the offensive line’s fault, or the result of bad playcalling?

This team needs Sanders back in the lineup, and it appears his practice time will increase as we head towards Week 2’s game. While no one can expect the Penn State standout to be Philly’s savior, he could make up for some of the offensive line deficiencies. It’s true that most backs would’ve been stuffed by Washington, but Sanders might’ve given taken some pressure off Wentz and could have assisted the Eagles in having a better chance to win.

To make matters worse, Scott got hurt in the game, and even though he returned, we don’t know if he will have any lingering issues this week. If he were to miss time, the team could elevate Elijah Holyfield from their practice squad as Jason Huntley is the only other running back on the ‘Birds’ roster besides Clement.

Once we have an update on Sanders’ and Scott’s injury status, we will have a better picture of what the team will do. In the meantime, the Eagles’ running back situation looks less-than-stellar after not being a factor in the team’s first loss of the season.