Anytime you rush over 300 yards in an NFL game, there’s a great chance you’re going to win, and on Sunday against the Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles rushed for 363 yards, the most they had in 74 years as they defeated Green Bay 40-33 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders had career days. Hurts had a career-high 157 rushing yards, and Miles Sanders accumulated a career-high 143 rushing yards to go along with two touchdowns on the ground. They became the first duo in Eagles’ history to each have 140-plus rushing yards in the same game.
In addition, Hurts, who became only the third quarterback in NFL history to run and throw for over 150 yards(153 yards, 2 TDs), had 103 rushing yards in the first quarter.
On Sunday, the offense created points in many ways and Hurts compared the offense to a 5-star restaurant.
“I mentioned often the importance of being able to attack teams in different ways,” Hurts said after the win. “I feel like for us as a football team, as an offense, it’s like your favorite steakhouse, your favorite restaurant – 5-star, boujee restaurant you like to go to. You have your steak of the day, your selection of the day. For us, we can kind of do it all, as you know. We do everything at a pretty consistent basis, that’s what we strive for, and I think we’ve done that in moments this year, and I think that’s our standard.
“I feel like there will be games where I have a day like this or an impact in the game on the ground. There’s a day where [WR] AJ [Brown] has three touchdowns in the first half. There’s a game where [WR Davonta Smith] Smitty has 150 [yards] in the first half. It’s a ton of different scenarios in ways this thing can go as an offense. I think that has helped us a lot, being able to be diverse. At the end of the day, I’ve made myself clear that the most important thing is winning. That’s what we came out here and did today regardless of how it looked. We just want to win. I just want to win and get it done.”
Sanders gave credit to the offensive line.
“I give all the credit to the O-line today,” he said. “We almost broke the franchise record [for rushing yards in a game]. We were shy about 20 yards. It shows that we can do this day in and day out. The guys up front are something special.”
Over the years, the Eagles have had some great running quarterbacks, including Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, and Michael Vick. According to Hurts, who broke Vick’s mark for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game in team history, those guys have impacted the way he plays the game.
“I have a great deal of respect for those guys,” Hurts said. “The guys that have come before me. [Former Eagles QB] Randall [Cunningham], [Former Eagles QB] Mike [Vick], [Former Eagles QB Donovan] McNabb. Just the way they played the game. I always talk about how I admire the way they played the game. And to be thrusted into that category and different things is a blessing. It’s a blessing. And it’s a lot of hard work going into it. I have a ton of respect for them and their support. And they don’t even know how they’ve affected me and impacted me in my time here.”
The Eagles, more importantly, are 10-1 and still the number one seed in the NFC, and since they beat the Vikings (9-2) in Week 2, they essentially have a two-game lead over Minnesota, so they are in good shape. However, they must keep winning, and the Tennessee Titans, who come to Philly next Sunday, won’t be easy.
