2 Important decisions that helped save the Philadelphia Eagles season

1. Jordan Howard’s return to the Philadelphia Eagles lineup.

In the first article that I wrote for Inside The Iggles, I wrote about how the Eagles needed to feed Jordan Howard, eat up the clock, and keep the New England Patriots offense off of the field. Unfortunately, he did not play in that game in 2019, but my faith in Howard and my belief in that run-first philosophy never faded in the time since.

Through the first seven games of 2021, the Birds had averaged 116 rushing yards per game through their first seven games. That sounds decent on paper but it was largely a result of Jalen Hurts scrambling out of the pocket. The numbers don’t really show how little they were running the ball.

The Eagles went into Week 8 in Detroit needing a win on Halloween. Howard was elevated from the practice squad and made his presence known with 57 yards on 12 carries for two touchdowns. After he ran for 71 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries the next week versus the Chargers, he was signed to the 53-man roster.

The need for a power back was evident after the 2020 season and Howard has filled that role beautifully since getting the nod.

According to Tej Seth’s chart at PFF, Howard is third in rushing yards over expected behind Jonathan Taylor and D’Ernest Johnson for running backs with a minimum of 70 carries. Despite facing eight defenders in the box about 25 percent of the time according to Next Gen Stats, Howard has still averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 2.1 yards after contact.

What has been most notable in addition to his contact balance has been his vision in between the tackles as well as his ability to quickly cut upfield as soon as he finds a lane. As both a runner and pass protector, he is a crucial piece to the offense moving forward.