The Philadelphia Eagles have all of the sudden won two straight and three of their last four, and they're doing it on the ground, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who joins Jon Marks & Ike Reese on the 94WIP Afternoon Show every Monday, loves what he's seeing and says that recipe that is being deployed by Nick Sirianni is a winning formula.
"If we continue to stay on the pedal and get 40 to 50 rushes a game, we're only gonna probably run about 75 plays in a game. So what? We're looking at 25 passes. I can live with that formula every day," McNabb said on Monday. "Especially for this offense. We know DeVonta [Smith] is going to get the ball, we know that we can spread it around a little bit, but if Jalen is throwing the ball between 18 and 25 times a game and we're running the football, and we're protecting the football, we're in every game. And if our defense continues to do what they've been doing, then it says a lot about this football team.
The Eagles are now averaging 153.4 rushing yards per game, second best in the NFL, behind an offensive line that is playing at an elite level.
In Sunday's win over the Saints, Hurts rushed 18 times for 69 yards and three scores, bringing his rushing touchdown total on the season to eight in 11 games. Miles Sanders, returning from injury, led the team in rushing yards with 96 on 16 carries.
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McNabb echoed the sentiments of the head coach when speaking about the running game, as it is benefitting from the athleticism of Hurts.
"I'm not big on the whole RPO game, I'm more of a turnaround and get downhill with the running backs and let them do what they're getting paid to do, and that's run the football," McNabb said.
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"Now, as far as scrambling is concerned from the quarterback position, if you get about three to four a game make sure that they're at the right moments when you're doing it. But what we're seeing as for the identity of this football team where the running game is included, because of Jalen Hurts. And I think that plays a major part of the success of the running game, is just his ability to pull and get down field. If it's a four or five yard or if it's a 15 to 30 yard game, it's still major because it keeps the chains moving.
"I think now what you're seeing is the ability of what the RPO game has done for the offense. It opens up the wide receiver screen, it opens up the halfback screen, and then you start to utilize your tight ends a little bit. I think the identity of this offense will be more a running game, plus play action."