DeMarco Murray, Eagles RBs Rush for Combined -2 Yards vs. Cowboys

DeMarco Murray was a superstar running back for the Dallas Cowboys last season. The Cowboys defense looked like the superstar Sunday against Murray and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles running backs.

Despite an injury to Tony Romo (a broken collarbone, according to Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports), the Cowboys controlled the entire contest on the way to a 20-10 victory. The defense held Philadelphia to a whopping seven rushing yards, but nine of those came from quarterback Sam Bradford.

Here is a look at the running back numbers:    

Player	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns	Yards per Carry
DeMarco Murray	13	2	0	0.2
Ryan Mathews	1	0	0	0
Darren Sproles	1	-4	0	-4

Murray is the headliner of that group, especially since he was facing his former team. SportsCenter highlighted how disastrous Murray’s 2015 start has been thus far:

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports added more context:

Murray discussed the Dallas showdown during a teleconference coming into the contest and said “it’s a normal game,” per Jarrett Bell of USA Today. If that was a normal performance for Murray, the Eagles are in serious trouble this year. 

He was a high-profile addition for Philadelphia during the offseason after he led the league with 1,845 rushing yards and notched 13 touchdowns on the ground in 2014. Michael Fabiano of NFL.com pointed out how dominant he must be the rest of this season to replicate those numbers:

It is easy to panic with numbers like that, especially since the Eagles’ uptempo attack doesn’t look like an ideal fit right now. Still, it is important to note Philadelphia has only played two games, and there is plenty of time to turn it around. But a high-stakes showdown like Sunday’s put Murray’s struggles under the microscope. 

Colby Daniels of 107.7 The Franchise underscored just how bad it has gotten for Murray:

The loss to Dallas was important for divisional purposes, but it also made it painfully clear how much Murray misses the Cowboys offensive line. Pro Football Focus rated Dallas as the top offensive line in the league last season, and it cleared the way for the running back to rack up incredible numbers.

Unless the Eagles figure out a way to block like that, Murray must find a way to contribute for his new team.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN doesn’t seem to think that will happen anytime soon:

If the Eagles don’t figure out the answer to that question quickly, the 2015 season will be a lost cause.