Coming into Week 5, the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the big disappointments early in the 2015 season. With a 1-3 record, the Eagles had struggled to put together a cohesive offense, especially with a ground game that was ranked third-worst in the league with just 280 rushing yards total.
The Eagles’ running game finally found its legs
It took a few weeks, but the Eagles’ running game finally got going on Sunday.
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
But Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles' rushing game exploded. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews found their legs and carried the Eagles to 186 yards and a 39-17 win. Mathews was solid on the day, putting up 73 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries. Murray, the marquee free agent signing this offseason, rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
It was the kind of offensive performance Chip Kelly envisioned since making a slew of offseason moves -- it just came along a few weeks later than expected. But just like the season as a whole, the offense needed some time to get rolling on Sunday.
Quarterback Sam Bradford -- another offseason addition -- led the Eagles to a turnover on downs and a pair of red zone interceptions on the team’s first three drives. But Bradford’s play picked up and he led the Eagles to a touchdown on their fourth possession, before reeling off scoring drives on each of Philadelphia’s possessions in the second half. He finished with 32 of 45 completions for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Although Kelly and the offensive coaches will be pleased with the way he turned things around, it's the surging running game that should draw the attention. After initially targeting Frank Gore in free agency, the Eagles set their sights on Murray and Mathews instead. Mathews was considered a starting-caliber back with durability issues, while Murray was the league's leading rusher in 2014.
Despite the high expectations, Murray entered a Week 4 game against Washington with just 11 yards rushing, and more than tripled his total yardage after a 36-yard day.
Slow starts are a theme with Kelly and the Eagles. Through the first four games of the season, the Eagles were outscored in the first quarter, and outscored in first halves by 46-27. Prior to Sunday, Kelly said that what the Eagles really needed was to get into a rhythm.
“Once we establish and kind of get into a rhythm, we can be pretty good,” Kelly said, via NJ.com.
One game isn’t a rhythm, but the Eagles now have a strong foundation to build on. The NFC East isn’t a tough division, and if the running game can continue to carry the Eagles the way they did on Sunday, Kelly might just be onto something.
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