Philadelphia Eagles' Renewed Focus on Ground Attack Powers Win in Houston

Only one team has thrown more interceptions than the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, yet Chip Kelly kept dialing up the pass. In last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the head coach called 63 passing plays. Even down to his backup quarterback on Sunday, it took a third interception against the Houston Texans for Kelly to finally find his ground attack.

Once he did, the Eagles never looked back. Philly running backs carried the ball 34 times for 184 yards—a 5.2 average—and a touchdown in Houston, helping deliver a 31-21 victory to improve the club’s record to 6-2.

Yes, Mark Sanchez wound up finding wide receiver Jeremy Maclin for the clinching touchdown with 3:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, both the Eagles’ lead and that 15-play, eight-minute scoring drive were built on the success of the running game.

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD
LeSean McCoy	23	117	5.1	0
Chris Polk	8	50	6.3	1
Darren Sproles	3	17	5.7	0

It was actually third-string back Chris Polk’s touchdown that provided the decisive points, part of a four-play, 70-yard march—all running plays. Polk’s bruising carry from eight yards out in the third quarter put Philadelphia in the driver’s seat for good.

After Sanchez tossed his second pick in relief of injured starting signal-caller Nick Foles, the offensive focus seemed to shift back to the run again. Nine of Philadelphia’s 15 plays leading to Maclin’s touchdown were handoffs to either Polk or reigning NFL rushing champion LeSean McCoy, which not only helped matriculate the ball down the field, but it also ate up over half of the fourth quarter in the process.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Why Kelly didn’t lean on his running game earlier is something of a mystery, particularly given the uneven performances under center. While Foles was busy attempting 62 passes last week in Arizona, McCoy was averaging a healthy 4.0 yards per carry.

True, the two-time All-Pro was struggling at one point in the season, but he has since rebounded, rushing for no fewer than 81 yards in any of the Eagles’ last four games. While he hasn’t exactly been underutilized, averaging 20 carries per game in ’14.

Still, why did it take so long to see more of the supporting cast?

That specifically relates to Polk, who had just three carries for the season entering Week 9 in Houston. When he finally got the rock eight times on Sunday, the third-year back ran with authority, pounding his way through the Texans defense for 50 yards and a score.

PLAYER	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
LeSean McCoy	160	622	3.9	1
Darren Sproles	35	228	6.5	3
Chris Polk	11	63	5.7	1

The workload of one Darren Sproles—arguably the club’s most valuable player this season—has been questioned for much of the season as well. With a robust 6.5 yards per carry, you’d think he would have more than 35 attempts for the season.

Sproles only carried the football three times for 17 yards against the Texans, although he was returning from injury, so a lighter load is understandable.

Generally speaking, though, the Eagles have not run the football nearly enough. Only two quarterbacks have attempted more passes than Foles this season, despite a very pedestrian passer rating of 81.5. If the aerial attack was firing on all cylinders, that would be one thing, only that clearly hasn’t been the case.

Whether Kelly sticks with the run remains to be seen.

On the bright side, Philadelphia’s offensive line is as complete as it’s been at any point this season. Second-year right tackle Lane Johnson returned from a suspension in Week 5. Dynamic center Jason Kelce came back against Houston. All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis is eligible to return from the short-term injured reserve list against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

With many of the offense’s best run-blockers back in the lineup, confidence in the ground attack should improve. After all, Philadelphia owned the No. 1-ranked rushing offense in the NFL in 2013.

Assuming Sanchez is going to be under center for awhile moving forward, it might also make sense to pound the ball more to alleviate the pressure on the backup quarterback. Sanchez is a sixth-year veteran, so it’s not as if he isn’t prepared to play, but the former New York Jet doesn’t have the greatest of histories as pro.

We’ll find out soon enough. For one week at least, the Eagles offense took over the game by running the football. If the Eagles are going to survive the rash of injuries on both sides of the ball, they’ll likely need to maintain some semblance of balance.