It was a tough blow yesterday afternoon when Nick Sirianni announced that Jordan Howard would likely miss Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Howard has been phenomenal for the Eagles this season, having the third-highest yards per carry in the NFL (5.4 yards) since his first start in week eight.

Philadelphia has been on a tear running the football this season, even with their refusal to run earlier in the year. Currently, the Eagles have 1,687 yards rushing, the second-most in the NFL and the most rushing touchdowns with 17.

Eagles rushing stats in 2021:

While the first half of the season might not look bad, it’s clear the number of designed runs is far lower than it has been over the last five weeks. If you take Jalen Hurts out of the equation entirely, the Eagles difference in attempts is even more significant

Eagles’ rushing stats without Jalen Hurts:

The difference in running the ball over the two halves of the season has been night and day. An increased number of attempts combined with a change in play design has turned this offense from stale and predictable to one of the best in the league.

NFL Scoring Ranks:

• Rushing TDs: 1st (17)
• Passing TDs: 25th (13)
• Total TDs: 5th (34)

Jalen Hurts and the offense isn’t built to be a pass-first group just yet, and that’s okay. Hurts is at his best when having the ability to run with the football there is a clear correlation between the Eagles’ wins and and their success on the ground. The fact that they are this successful with their running game being only this good for less than half the year is remarkable.

Jordan Howard is arguably the most crucial player to this Eagles team since he was brought to the active roster. Even with Miles Sanders back in the mix, Jordan Howard received ten carries and was the team’s best rusher with 6.3 yards per carry. Sanders returning will help lessen the blow, but their run game outside of him will be concerning.

Boston Scott had just 16 yards on Sunday, and Kenny Gainwell hasn’t seen significant touches in several weeks. Luckily, the Giants have a shaky run defense, and the Eagles could finally give Miles Sanders a heavy workload for the first time this season. Over three seasons, Miles Sanders has never had a game with more than 20 rushing attempts, and that could likely change this weekend.

No matter who is running the ball for the Eagles, there isn’t a single defense that can stop them. New Orleans had no excuses on Sunday, and Philadelphia tore them apart, showing the rest of the NFL that this can be done at will. If the Saints couldn’t contain them, then the Giants shouldn’t even be a worry for this group.

Mandatory Credit: ESPN