MINNEAPOLIS -- One week after his record-setting 217-yard rushing performance against Detroit, running back LeSean McCoy was a virtual non-factor in Minnesota.
It didn't help that the Eagles fell behind big early in the second half and had to throw virtually the rest of the game, but even before that McCoy was extremely ineffective.
He had just 4 carries for 19 yards in the first half, and the Eagles managed only three Alex Henery field goals. One of McCoy's runs was a 16-yard gain, and the Vikings had him bottled up the rest of the way. McCoy did add a couple of receptions for 46 yards in the opening two quarters, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles went 0 for 3 in the red zone.
McCoy finished with 8 rushing attempts for 38 yards and 5 receptions for 68 yards.
"It's just the way the day went. Coach (Chip Kelly) makes the calls and we execute them," said McCoy. "I wasn't frustrated at all. We were trying to come back to win the game. It's frustrating that we lost, that's all."
McCoy's tough day came to a head midway through the third quarter when the Eagles went for a fourth-and-1 play at the Philadelphia 24-yard line. McCoy got the handoff from quarterback Nick Foles and was stopped short of the first down by Audi Cole and Chad Greenway. The Eagles turned the ball over on downs to Minnesota and the Vikings converted into three points.
"We've got to be better in that situation," said left guard Evan Mathis. "We didn't give him a chance to get the yard. You have to be able to convert in that situation."
It was certainly a frustrating afternoon for McCoy, who entered the game as the leading rusher in the league with 1,305 yards. With Adrian Peterson on the other sideline inactive due to injury, McCoy wanted to have a big game.
But he was shut down, as was an Eagles offense that just couldn't get anything going after some promising drives in the first half. The offense came alive in the second half and put some pressure on the Vikings, but by then the running game was a distant afterthought. It was all about scoring quickly and trying to catch up on the scoreboard.
"We got close there at 27-22 and then it all kind of fell apart," said McCoy. "You're going to have days like that. We don't like it, but we have to bounce back and win next week. Nobody is hanging his head. We have to beat Chicago on Sunday. That's all there is to it."
