PHILADELPHIA — Everybody knows how explosive and dynamic Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders can be in the open field.
Since entering the league in 2019, Sanders has made a habit of creating highlight reel plays on the ground and through the air. He already has four runs of over 60 yards in his career.
Once again in 2021, Sanders is in the top five in 20+ yard runs (tied for fourth with Denver Broncos RB Javonte Williams and Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon).
Outside of LeSean McCoy, there may not be another running back in franchise history that can make defenders miss, and create something out of nothing better than Sanders.
However, one knock on Sanders through his first three seasons has been his inconsistencies as a physical runner in-between the tackles. Sometimes, he has been criticized of trying to do too much with cuts, instead of sticking his foot in the ground and taking the bigger play that an elite offensive line offers.
The Eagles have elected to find the “thunder” to Sanders’ “lightning" through other running backs.
Runners like Jordan Howard, who offer a different style and endured a three-week run of success when Sanders was sidelined with an ankle injury, made fans weary of giving the backfield back to him when healthy.
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That hesitation has been silenced by the Penn State product. Sanders is bringing the power and decisiveness to the backfield himself.
His 24 carry, 120-yard (5.0 yards per carry) performance Sunday against the New York Jets was the best example of Sanders becoming a complete, workhorse back for the NFL’s top rushing offense.
105 of those yards came after contact. That is 87.5% of his total rushing yards coming after contact.
It was the most yards after contact among all rushers during the Week 13 slate of games.
No one is asking Sanders to change his game completely and limit what makes him special. Finding success inside will only help Sanders in the open field as the more chances he gets to make plays in the second and third level of the defense, the harder it is for defenders to get their hands on him.
Sanders is playing some really good football right now. Since returning to the lineup in the Week 11 win over New Orleans, he has averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in all three matchups (5.8 vs NO, 7.1 @ NYG, 5.0 @ NYJ).
He continues to be an explosive, efficient runner. Adding the power to his game only adds to a dominant rushing attack.
Adding an element of power to his game is crucial for Miles Sanders and the Philadelphia Eagles chances of making the playoffs as they gear up for a late-season run.