One of the most significant changes over the last few weeks for the Eagles has been their reliance on the run game. To start the season, Nick Sirianni refused to run the football, and fans were in an uproar over the lack of carries. However, Philadelphia has run the ball 85 times, or over 40 attempts per game over the last two weeks.

To compare, the Eagles ran the ball just 12 times against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season, with nine of those coming from Jalen Hurts. Eagles fans are pleased with the adjustment, and it has worked beautifully even without Miles Sanders on the field, but they aren’t the only ones. 

Lane Johnson and the rest of the starting offensive line have loved the changes that have occurred. The Eagles are 7th in the NFL with a 77.5 run-blocking grade and have the fourth-best running grade at 83.5, according to PFF.

Lane Johnson had nothing but positive comments about running the football when asked about the changes earlier this week.

“I think when you do that, you control the game clock, time of possession, it makes play-action a lot easier, it limits their pass rush. So really, when you’re able to run the ball, it makes the game a whole lot easier rather than throwing it 50-something times.”

Alongside being so dominant in the trenches, running the ball more allows the rest of the Eagles’ offense to open up through play action and other schemes. Jordan Mailata is another huge fan of relying on the run game more and understands how it helps the bigger picture.

“I think the most important thing is to put respect on our name that we can run the ball, and that in itself will protect everything – pass game, play-action game, screen game. So I think we’re doing a great job knowing our assignments and just trying to dominate the guy opposing us.”

By bringing Jordan Howard up to the active roster, this style of play will likely continue this Sunday when the Eagles travel to Denver to face the 5-4 Broncos.

Mandatory Credit: AP Photo