Galloping Gobbler Award 2014: LeSean McCoy Wins Thanksgiving Day Award

The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Dallas Cowboys 33-10 on Thanksgiving to ascend to first alone in the NFC East division. As balanced and explosive as the Eagles' uptempo offense was at AT&T Stadium, LeSean McCoy emerged as the deserving recipient of the prestigious Galloping Gobbler Award.

Fox hands out the accolade every year to the standout performer in the game it gets on its network. McCoy certainly merited the hardware, racking up 159 yards rushing on 25 carries and a touchdown.

Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com pointed out how McCoy appears to have the rival Cowboys' number:

It isn't the biggest surprise that McCoy rose to the occasion on the big stage. However, doubts lingered about him after he got off to a slow start in 2014 as the reigning NFL rushing champion.

There couldn't have been a much more appropriate way for McCoy to respond, as he out-gained Dallas star DeMarco Murray by a huge margin on the ground. Murray is probably going to be the league's leading rusher this year, but he had just 73 yards on 20 carries to go with six catches for 40 yards.

Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer added more context to how much sustained greatness McCoy has enjoyed during his feature back tenure in Philly:

The condensed preparation was evidently ample time for the Eagles to find a way to allow McCoy to thrive. He had a 36-yard gain on the opening touchdown drive and added a 38-yard TD jaunt to help ice the game in the third.

McCoy should be silencing many of his critics at this point. As well as he played, the most encouraging sign was that Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez didn't turn it over against Dallas. That type of balance is scary for future Eagles opponents to ponder.

Improved run blocking seems to have renewed McCoy's confidence and decisiveness as a runner. It appears the Eagles are rounding into form just in time for a potential NFC East crown and deep playoff run.