The goal for the Philadelphia Eagles offense is to be as multi-platformed as possible – to be able to devastate defenses with an explosive air game and to wear them down on the ground. Pick your poison. We'll chop it up any way you want.

But there is a certain beauty to what the Eagles are doing in the running game right now. The Eagles have averaged 195.8 rushing yards per game and have scored eight ground touchdowns since Week 6, both best in the NFL. The offense has churned out 150-plus yards and two-plus touchdowns scored on the ground in three straight games for the seventh time in team history, the first since the 1953 season.

Running back Saquon Barkley on Wednesday was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after his performance in a 28-23 win over Jacksonville, and his numbers speak to the versatility of the offense – he carried the football 27 times for 159 yards and a touchdown and added another 3 receptions for 40 yards, including a 20-yard catch for a touchdown.

Barkley, as with the Eagles' offense, won on the ground and in the air by moving the chains on some touches and by taking the top off the defense on others. That is the ideal attack mode the Eagles desire.

But within that exists a running game that has been something special this season. The team has long prided itself in the ground game – look at the numbers of some of the running backs who have blessed the Eagles' franchise like Ricky Watters, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Miles Sanders, and D'Andre Swift have posted the last three decades.

This season is no different.

A superb offensive line that has withstood a rash of injuries – right tackle Lane Johnson, left tackle Jordan Mailata, and right guard Mekhi Becton have each missed significant time – has been the foundation, as usual. Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland is the best of the best and his ability to develop depth has enabled the Eagles to win at the line of scrimmage, no matter the opponent.

The tight ends have also been strong in the run-blocking game – credit to Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Jack Stoll there – and they aren't given enough credit for their contribution.

Having a quarterback like Jalen Hurts, who has run for 322 yards with eight touchdowns, is a key part of the equation as well, as he has been effective whether the runs have been part of Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore's design or whether Hurts has run away from the pass rush. He breaks down defenses with his arm and his legs.

Much of it, though, is Barkley, a veteran the Eagles brilliantly added in free agency who has run for 925 yards already, averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. Including defense-busting runs of 34 yards (Green Bay), 65 yards (New Orleans), 59 yards (Tampa Bay), 55, 41, and 38 yards (Giants), and gains of 21 yards and 19 yards on Sunday against the Jaguars.

"I think it's fair to say that he's even more special than I ever thought," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "Just when you're preparing to play against special players in this league, they tend to take so much of your time up of you thinking about them and you preparing to stop them. So, we knew he was special. I think when you're around him on a daily basis it's safe to say, yes, that he's even more special than I could have even imagined. It's with everything though. I can't say enough about Saquon the leader, the worker, the teammate."

Situationally, the Eagles have leaned more on the running game in the early downs and they've given themselves third-and-manageable situations, always a winning formula.

"We are constantly trying to evaluate our rhythm throughout each and every game. It felt like some of the run game on early downs has generated some very positive situations," Moore said. "I feel like we've put ourselves in more manageable third downs because of how we've played first and second down. The play-action game is still critical to those situations. I think when you are able to tie those two together from a presentation and a threat standpoint, huge advantages. We are running the football well at times. So when you do have that ability to control the line of scrimmage, and our guys can just run off the ball and play physical, you definitely want to embrace that."

There is also the fact that the Eagles are beating defenses in the passing game and that Hurts is in one of the best streaks of his career – he has 6 passing touchdowns and zero giveaways in the four-game winning timeframe – and the explosive passing game has been dominating: The Eagles have 12 completions of 40-plus yards this season, most in the NFL.

Oneith by air, twoith by ground, or something like that …

"We have total confidence in our ability to run the ball, no matter how the defense is playing us," guard Mekhi Becton said. "We're coming together. Far from perfect. A lot to work on. But it's getting better and better and that's exciting for all of us."