Things are not looking good for the Philadelphia Eagles and frustration is starting to pour out of the players. The Eagles suffered a bad loss against the Washington Redskins on Sunday that has Chip Kelly scratching his head as to what went wrong. According to DeMarco Murray, the run game is the issue and it is because he is not getting the ball enough as the former NFL leading rusher continues to split carries.
Murray had been limited all week with a hamstring injury after missing Week 3 with the issue. Murray was listed as a game-time decision heading into the matchup against the Redskins, but ended up playing. The running back carried the ball eight times for 36 yards. He also had two catches for 12 yards. Murray's totals on the season are not what people were expecting from the player that led the league last year. Through three games he has just 47 yards off 29 carries and he is not thrilled.
"Do I think I'm touching the ball [enough]?" Murray said, via ESPN.com. "No, I'm not. I don't think I am. But it's the plays that are being called. I love this offense. I love playing with these guys. It's just how it is. I don't need to go to anyone. It is what it is. We'll all watch film and get better. Everyone has to get better. Losing a game like this in the division, going 0-2 in the division, it sucks."
This is likely not what Murray was expecting when he signed the high-priced contract with the Eagles. However, he knew the situation before hand. Prior to signing his deal, the Eagles inked Ryan Mathews to a contract to replace the departing LeSean McCoy. The Eagles also had the dynamic Darren Sproles under contract who was expected to get time. Kelly stressed early on that he favored a rotation over a leading rusher and now Murray is the victim of it.
"At the end of the day," Murray said, "you've got to make plays. We're here for a reason. We've got to get more opportunities and get the ball in our playmakers' hands. We're 1-3. It's pretty frustrating."
The run game is not the total issue, but fans would likely want to see Murray carry the ball more than just eight times a game. Bradford is doing a solid job of spreading the ball around. He finished the day going 15-of-28 for just 270 yards, but he did get three touchdowns. The offensive line failed to hold as the quarterback was sacked five times in the loss. Meanwhile, Riley cooper and Nelson Agholor emerged to lead the team while Jordan Matthews was targeted eight times and only caught three passes.
