The run game is expected to be a major part of the Philadelphia Eagles offense especially after they spent big money to acquire both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. However, that highly-paid unit totaled up just 63 yards on 16 carries in the Week 1 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. That is not what fans were expecting as fantasy football owners are looking for Murray to get more involved despite his two-touchdown performance. Head coach Chip Kelly has no time for talk like that and defended the rotation heading into the game against the Dallas Cowboys.
"We didn't call many runs. So I think it's a misconception to say that we didn't run the ball very well," Kelly said, via NJ.com. "It's tough to evaluate the run if we aren't running it. We threw the ball because of what they were doing, almost exclusively in the second half. We could move the ball very quickly down the field by getting the ball in the air but that's not an indication of how (the run game was)"
While Murray will grow into the workhorse of the team, the x-factor could be Darren Sproles who was essentially untouchable against the Falcons. Sam Bradford could be relying heavily on the ground game against the Dallas Cowboys. The quarterback popped up on the injury list this week for an ankle issue that required x-rays. Bradford denied the issue and made it clear he was completely fine, but fans have a right to worry considering his injury history. The Eagles will live or die by the health of Bradford this year, so seeing the quarterback on the injury report for anything is concerning.
"I knew everything was fine," Bradford said, via NJ.com. "They just wanted to check it out to be sure. It didn't hurt. It wasn't sore. They just wanted to do it as a precaution."
The Eagles are working on a short week with several things that need fixing. Outside of Jordan Matthews, the wide receiver rotation left a lot to be desire. Rookie Nelson Agholor is expected to be much more involved as time goes on and could develop into a solid target for Bradford. The same can be said for Josh Huff who had a quiet game. Both receivers are battling with Riley Cooper and Miles Austin for time on the field.
In terms of snap counts, Zach Ertz is a player to watch on Sunday. The tight end recorded more time on the field than Brent Celek who was the starter for the team. After missing all of training camp, Ertz looked solid on the field and could see and increased amount of playing time once he is fully healthy.
"I felt really comfortable out there," Ertz said, via CSNPhilly.com. "Obviously, there's going to be some things off timing wise. Sam and I had never really played together in a game. We talk about a lot of things, but there are going to be things that are off. But I thought I made some plays, I thought I helped the team, and that's the most important part."
