Eagles establishing offensive identity by leading the NFL in one key category

Heading into the 2024 NFL season, there was some speculation about what type of team the Philadelphia Eagles would be on offense under new coordinator Kellen Moore. Would they be a smash-mouth team, a finesse team, or some sort of hybrid? Those questions lingered as the team limped, literally, into the bye week at 2-2.

Since then though, the Eagles have gone 3-0 out of the bye, and an identity emerged in the process: They're a run-first team that also has a potent passing attack.

Eagles are leading the NFL in rushing attempts per game

Through eight weeks of action, the Eagles are leading the league in rushing attempts per performance with 34.3 and they're averaging the second-most rushing yards per game (165.9). It's clear that emphasizing the ground game was a priority during that bye week, as the Eagles averaged a staggering 40 rushing attempts per game over the last three contests.

The Pittsburgh Steelers averaged the second-most during that span with 34. It's probably not a coincidence that the Eagles won all three of those games. Considering the fact that the team went out and added the best back in the league in Saquon Barkley over the offseason, pounding the rock seems like a sound strategy.

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Barkley already recorded four 100-plus yard games for Philadelphia this season. He's second in the NFL with 766 rushing yards, behind only Derrick Henry, and he's found the end zone five times.

Jalen Hurts has also contributed to Philadelphia's ground game in a meaningful way with 255 rushing yards and seven touchdowns of his own. Plus, Kenny Gainwell has added 115 yards on the ground, too. All of these guys have benefitted from strong play from the offensive line, which has been a calling card of the Eagles for quite some time.

But while the Eagles have excelled at running the football, they're far from one-dimensional thanks to an aerial attack that features A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who have combined for 794 receiving yards on the season despite both guys missing games with injury issues. Both guys are capable of taking the top off of a defense on any given play, as we've seen over the past couple of weeks.

It's a great place to be as an offense. If defenses start to be extra aggressive in loading the box against Barkley, it opens things up for Hurts and the passing game, and vice versa. The well-rounded nature of the offense puts opposing defenses in a real pickle, but it's entirely predicated on the Eagles' ability -- and willingness -- to run the football. As long as they continue to lean into that, they'll continue to be a dangerous team with a chance to make some real noise.