Of the seven touchdowns the New Orleans Saints scored in their 48-7 win over the Eagles in Week 11, the one that stands out the most is a 37-yard strike to running back Alvin Kamara in the fourth quarter.
The touchdown came with the game already decided and the Saints facing a fourth-and-seven. Instead of kicking a field goal or punting, however, Saints head coach Sean Payton elected to throw the ball deep down the field to Kamara, who beat safety Malcolm Jenkins for the score.
The play perfectly encapsulated the day — the Saints absolutely embarrassing the Eagles and even the best players on the roster being able to do nothing to stop it.
To ensure that doesn't happen this weekend in their playoff matchup the Eagles will need to improve in a number of areas, but near the top of the board will be figuring out a way to slow down Kamara.
Kamara had a big day against the Eagles in the first matchup, as in addition to scoring the back-breaking touchdown, he finished with 90 total yards on just 14 touches. He easily could have had more if the Saints wanted to keep going, as the Eagles had no answer for the play-making running back.
The Eagles having issues with versatile running backs is nothing new this season, but it is an issue they need to solve if they hope to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
This season, the Eagles have faced five of the top eight running backs in the NFL in terms of receiving yards — Christian McCaffery, Tarik Cohen, Saquon Barkely, Kamara, Todd Gurley and Ezekiell Elliott. They are 4-5 in the nine games they have played against the five players, and their inability to stop any of them is a big reason why.
Here is a look at what the Eagles have given up to those five running backs this season:
Christian McCaffery:
7 carries, 29 yards…6 catches, 51 yards
Ezekiel Elliott:
1st matchup 19 carries, 151 yards, 1 TD…6 catches, 36 yards, 1 TD
2nd matchup: 28 carries, 113 yards…12 catches 79 yards
Todd Gurley:
12 carries for 48 yards, 2 TD…10 catches 76 yards
Alvin Kamara:
13 carries, 71 yards…1 catch, 37 yards, 1 TD
Saquon Barkley:
1st matchup: 13 carries, 130 yards…9 catches 99 yards, 1 TD
2nd matchup: 13 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD…7 catches 41 yards 1 TD
Tarik Cohen:
1 run, 0 yards…3 catches 27 yards
Overall, the Eagles gave up an average of 76 rushing yards per game and 55 receiving yards, for a total of 131 total yards on average to the group of dynamic running backs.
The good news for the Eagles is that their last game against the group of running backs was their best. The Eagles held Cohen to just 27 total yards in their playoff win over the Bears, turning one of the Bears' most dangerous playmakers into a complete non-factor.
As dangerous as Cohen was this season with the Bears, Kamara poses a much bigger challenge than Cohen did. On the season, Kamara has 194 rushes for 883 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 81 catches on 105 targets for 709 yards and four more scores.
His 81 catches was third best among all running backs in the NFL. That fact that Kamara has a 60/40 split between rushing attempts and targets in the backfield makes him that much more difficult to cover, and will keep the Eagles guessing each time he is on the field.
How the Eagles go about covering Kamara will be interesting to see. As powerful as the Saints offense has been this season, they rely heavily on Kamara and receiver Michael Thomas. They do not spread the ball around much, meaning the Eagles will be able to key in Kamara and Thomas. It is possible that the Eagles decide to put safety Malcolm Jenkins — even though he struggled against him in the first matchup — on Kamara when he splits out wide, as any linebacker on the Eagles' roster would be at a serious disadvantage against Kamara.
Whatever the Eagles' gameplay is, one thing is clear. If the Eagles don't figure out their issues against versatile running backs by this Sunday, Kamara could be in for another big day — and the Eagles' season could end because of it.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
