For LeSean McCoy, who had plans of "dominating" this season, the last three games have been tough to swallow. The Eagles' All-Pro running back averaged just 49 yards per game on the ground in those outings, but after the Oakland game last week, McCoy said that personal stats didn't matter much as long as the Eagles were winning.
On Sunday, McCoy got to have his cake and eat it too, as he rushed for 155 yards in the Eagles' 27-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Afterwards, McCoy gave credit to the entire team for another strong showing.
"I thought that I would get the ball a lot," McCoy said after the game. "Last week, there was no (time) to run the ball much, because we were throwing and firing so much and making so many different plays. We were so successful in the air and Nick (Foles) is playing out of this world right now. I think the defense is playing lights out, and as an offense, I think that a lot of people forgot how good we really are and how effective we are. For the first six weeks, we were very explosive and putting stats up and break records."
McCoy also made a point to credit his offensive linemen, who opened gaps left and right, allowing the Eagles to rush for 205 yards as a team against a Packers defense that had been in the top five in the NFL against the run.
"Today, I think that the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage," said McCoy. "I think that the backs that we have here, if you give us a one-on-one opportunity with a linebacker, defensive end, or safety, nine times out of 10, we're going to make him miss, and today that's what happened. We controlled the line of scrimmage. It's one thing for a back to be confident in running the ball, but it's another thing when the guys upfront want to run the ball even more than you do. It says a lot about them upfront and the way that they played."
The Eagles offense appears to once again be clicking as it did earlier in the season. Partially because of Foles' seven-touchdown game last week, the Packers had to respect the Eagles passing attack, which opened up a number of holes for McCoy.
"We're just getting back to the basics - running the ball and throwing the ball," McCoy explained. "I think at this point with defenses when they're scouting us and preparing for us, it's 'What do you want to do?' Do you want to stop the run? Teams have been doing (that) for the last couple of weeks and we've been making plays in the air. It's a matter of picking your poison."
In a game containing multiple deep-strike touchdowns, and critical takeaways from the Eagles defense, the most impressive accomplishment may have come at the end of the game, as the Eagles ran the ball 11 times in 12 plays before kneeling down to erase the final 9:32 of game action.
The clock-chewing drive was a great way to end the day.
"You would think that on a long drive like that, guys would get tired, but they don't because you're used to going so fast," said McCoy. "We actually slowed down and it was like a huddle, and we haven't had a huddle since probably last year.
"It's a good feeling, because the defense knows that we're going to run the ball and that we're not going to throw it. You can stack the box but we're going to run it, so the attitude that the guys played with today upfront, especially in the late drives, kind of iced the game."
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