Darren Sproles Sparks Offense in Philadelphia Eagles Debut

For a brief few moments, it looked like the Philadelphia Eagles’ nightmare first half might last the full 60 minutes—until Darren Sproles shook the offense from its slumber.

A heavily favored Eagles squad managed to turn a 17-0 halftime deficit into a 34-17 Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, largely thanks to defensive and special teams efforts that kept the score within striking distance. A comeback isn’t possible without a little offense, though, and it was a lot of the 5’6”, 190-pound Sproles that finally got the unit on track.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
Rushing	11	71	6.5	49T	1
Receiving	4	14	3.5	8	0
Punt Returns	4	62	15.5	22	0

It appeared as if yet another Eagles drive had stalled as the third quarter got underway, but head coach Chip Kelly left his offense on the field. On 4th-and-1, Sproles shot through the line of scrimmage like he had been fired out of a cannon, racing 49 yards for Philadelphia’s first points of 2014.

Sproles wasn’t through jump-starting the offense. Following a three-and-out by the Jaguars, the 31-year-old back returned the ensuing punt 22 yards down to Jacksonville’s 40-yard line. Six plays later, quarterback Nick Foles hooked up with tight end Zach Ertz on a 25-yard touchdown to cut the Eagles’ deficit to three.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Those plays were the beginning of a 34-point run that wound up propelling the Eagles to the easy victory many experts predicted in the first place.

It was Sproles’ first official game wearing midnight green since he was acquired from the New Orleans Saints during the offseason for a fifth-round pick, and he did not disappoint. The 10th-year veteran finished with 11 carries for 71 yards, four receptions for 14 yards and four punt returns for 62 yards.

	RUSH ATT/GM	RECEPTIONS/GM	TOUCHES/GM
Week 1	11.0	4.0	15.0
2011-13 (NO)	4.3	5.4	9.75

Momentum-altering plays aside, Sproles’ usage was notable to say the least. While he’s perhaps better known for his receiving ability out of the backfield or occasionally the slot, clearly the Eagles are looking to give Sproles more handoffs. The 11 rushing attempts were his most in the regular season or playoffs since 2011.

Then again, maybe the heavy dose of Sproles in the ground attack shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. After all, the Eagles went out of their way to insist he is, in fact, a running back, as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur reiterated back in June when speaking to Les Bowen for the Philadelphia Daily News:

"

I think he's an outstanding running back, that's what he is. There's a lot of conversation about the fact we brought him in to play receiver. He's played at a very high level for 10 years. He brings outstanding leadership. He's one of our hardest workers. The first training session he went out there and he finishes as well as you see from any player, not to mention he can help us running the ball and catching it. That's a very strong addition for us.

"

The 15 total touches in the offense on Sunday also matched Sproles’ season high for the Saints in 2013. It’s too early to project that over a 16-game season, but it’s safe to say he’ll continue to play a sizeable role in the offense moving forward.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Through one game thus far, it’s not difficult to see why—why the investment of a fifth-round pick, why the two-year contract extension that immediately followed and why the Eagles are determined to make Sproles a vital part of the game plan.

Against Jacksonville, Sproles turned out to be the X-factor. Maybe the Eagles’ comeback was always inevitable as a home favorite against a rebuilding team, but Sproles is the guy who got it started. Something tells me it won’t be the last time he sparks Philly’s offense.