Eagles will face seven of the NFL’s top ten running backs this season

Here are a couple of quick tidbits that no one will throw in the category of ‘new information’. One, any game the Philadelphia Eagles are triumphant in will be won and lost in the trenches. How many times have you heard that? One thousand times or more?

Another well-known theory, our second, is the following. A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game. That’s a nugget you’ve probably shared with a young football fan as you’ve tried to teach him or her the game.

Both arguments, though simple in theory, have stood the test of time. Why? It’s simple. It’s because they’ve proven to be accurate over and over again.

Philadelphia is well aware of the importance of building a strong group to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That’s why they invest so many resources in strengthening themselves along the offensive and defensive lines. That should serve them well as they look to build on a season (2021) in which they led the NFL in rushing yards (2,715), rushing yards per game (159.7), and rushing TDs (25).

They’ll also look to control the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. They’ll need to be as they’ll get a large helping of some of the game’s best runners this season.

The Philadelphia Eagles have seven of the NFL’s top ten running backs on their schedule during the 2022-2023 NFL season.

It’s been called a favorable schedule thanks to there being road games versus some of the NFL’s bottom-feeders (the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Houston Texans for instance) and home games versus the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars. No team should count wins before they occur, but there’s hope that the Philadelphia Eagles can build on a season in which they earned a postseason berth.

They’ll need Jalen Hurts to continue his growth as a passer of the football. He’ll need to rely on his offensive line and his teammates, particularly his ‘best friend’ that vaunted Eagles running game.

Philly will look to stifle the running game of their opponents as well, and as mentioned earlier, there are some beasts on the schedule. Recently, CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker ranked the top ten tailbacks in the game. Here’s his list:

1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
2. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
3. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
6. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
8. Austin Ekeler, L.A. Chargers
9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
10. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

If you were paying attention, you noticed something. Seven of those guys’ teams are on Philly’s schedule this season (Henry, Taylor, Kamara, Cook, Elliott, Jones, and Montgomery).

Sure, you can argue Elliott off of that list. Clearly, his goose is cooked, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have something special in Najee Harris.

His line let him down in 2021, but you have to admit, had he and Taylor switched rosters, he’d more than likely be one of the game’s more productive backs and we’d be talking about Taylor being stopped behind the line.

Philly sees Harris and the Steelers in Week 8. They also get their fill of Saquon Barkley twice, someone who’s given them fits when healthy, as well as a two-game date with Antonio Gibson (Washington Commanders). There’s another game to circle, the one versus the Jags. They’ll field a potential star in Travis Etienne Jr. He missed his rookie season due to injury.

That’s a long-winded way of pointing out the following. The Eagles’ rush defense will have their hands full all season. Fortunately, they’re equipped to handle the onslaught.

In 2021, they finished ninth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (1,834), but unfortunately, they finished 24th in rushing touchdowns allowed. That will need to improve obviously, but they’ve taken steps to ensure it does.

The Birds drafted Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu in 2021. They added Jordan Davis to the nest in 2022. We’ll have to see if Tuipulotu can make the roster (and what the potential plan might be for undrafted rookie Noah Elliss), but in the meantime, Williams should take the next step in 2022 while sharing snaps with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave along the defensive line’s interior.

What happens in the trenches during every game this season will help tell Philly’s tale, and they’ve been building to be dominant for a while. Let’s hope their efforts are rewarded.

Is it September yet? We can’t wait to see how all of this plays out!