The Eagles took it on the chin from the 49ers in Week 13 and one of the things they are focused on as they try to get back on track against the Cowboys is getting their running game going.
The team posted 46 rushing yards in the 42-19 loss and 26 of those came from quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota. Their running backs had just nine carries with two coming after halftime, which could be explained away by the fact that the Eagles fell behind by 15 points before they got the ball in the third quarter.
Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson doesn’t see things that way. He said there has to be “a balancing act” between the score and the need “to continue to hammer attempts and try to get the guys in a good rhythm and a good flow.”
“I think that’s feel and feeling how the game is going and what is needed in that certain point because, to your point, you could have seven yards on four carries and then break one for 30, and now you’ve got 37 yards on five carries or whatever it is,” Johnson said at his press conference. “Those numbers, that average looks a little bit different. Now you’re averaging seven yards a carry or whatever it is. We have to just continue to pound at it until one of those explosives pop. I think for us that’s something that we have to be really committed to.”
The Eagles are fifth in the league in rushing attempts over the entire season, so they’ve shown a willingness to commit to the run in the past. We’ll see if they get back to it in Dallas this weekend.
