Four weeks into the season, DeMarco Murray was sitting on 29 carries for 47 yards rushing. He was visibly frustrated by the lack of running lanes and admitted he didn’t feel he was getting the ball enough.
The past two games have gone a lot more according to plan for the NFL’s reigning rushing champion. For the second week in a row, Murray received over 20 carries in the Eagles’ 27-7 victory over the New York Giants, allowing him to eclipse the 100-yard mark for the first time with his new team.
What changed?
“A lot of guys are playing well,” Murray said. “The receivers are making plays downfield. The offensive line is blocking a lot better. We’re running the ball more physical and we’re running through some arm tackles and trash.”
But what changed specifically for Murray from when he was posting a meager 1.6 yards per carry through four games, while backfield mates Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles were averaging 4.2 combined.
“We’re just all executing better,” Murray insisted. “We’re all on the same page, and we’re increasingly getting more comfortable with each other.”
It’s probably fair to say Murray was a victim of small sample size to a certain extent. Twenty-nine attempts is not a lot of work for a bellcow like that. He totaled at least that many in four games as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 en route to 1,845 yards on the season.
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Now that the touches are coming, so too are the numbers. Murray rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against the New Orleans Saints last week. Against the Giants, he carried 22 times for 109 yards and a score in his most effective performance yet.
Playing with a lead has helped the past two weeks, but Murray also seemed to get better as the game went along on Monday night. The two-time Pro Bowler had just 12 yards on five carries after the first half ended, then ran eight times for 43 yards in the third quarter and nine times for 54 yards in the fourth.
“Whenever you get an opportunity to play and get touches, anyone gets better as the game goes on, including myself,” said Murray.
Of course, improved play up front has been a big help as well. Much of Murray’s struggles were not his own fault. Blown assignments often left him dodging defenders deep in the Eagles' backfield or facing a wall at the line of scrimmage.
The offensive line is far from a finished product, but it appears to be gradually gaining continuity and improving as the weeks go on.
“They’re taking it upon themselves,” Murray observed of the offensive line. “Everyone is looking in the mirror. Everyone knows it’s up to yourself to be the best version of you you can be, and we’re doing that throughout the week and it’s giving us a chance on Sundays and Mondays.”
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly agreed with both of Murray’s assessments postgame — that the line has stepped up in recent weeks. Kelly also seemed to believe it’s the biggest reason for Murray’s recent success.
“I think our offensive line is really starting to come together as a group, and the one thing about DeMarco, he's a downhill, physical runner that runs behind his pads,” Kelly said.
“If we can get him started, and I think we started to get a little push at the line of scrimmage and then get him to the second level, he can run through a lot of arm tackles and obviously was really good to see him get going tonight.”
The offensive line was pleased it was able to do its part in getting Murray over the century mark for the first time. However, the unit was not satisfied.
“It’s a good win for the team, good day for DeMarco, and it shows the team we can run the ball and the offensive line that we can be successful,” said left guard Allen Barbre.
“I think it’s a combination of everybody being more familiar, the line blocking better on run plays,” added center Jason Kelce. “But we have to put a full game together. It’s good to have a 100-yard rusher, and to end the game like we did, but the pre-snap penalties, the [bad] snap that I had — there’s a lot of mistakes.”
The Eagles have faced a lot of criticism for their inability to run the football early this season. The organization went out and spent vast sums of money on Murray and Mathews in free agency with the expectation they would carry the load for this offense.
Murray’s slow start in particular has been cause for concern. He signed a five-year deal with $21 million guaranteed in the offseason, this coming off a year in which he touched the ball roughly 500 times between regular season and playoffs for the Cowboys. Were the Eagles getting the same player?
While you wouldn’t know it by some of his gestures on the field and comments after games, Murray claimed he’s felt comfortable in this offense all along.
“I don’t worry about it,” Murray said. “I don’t think the offense worries about it. We just continue to play, continue to come in every day and work and try to get better and execute.
“Like I said, it’s an ongoing process. You put in new plays every week, you’re seeing different looks and different opponents, and you just have to continue to work hard. Chip put together a great game plan, along with the other coaches, and the offensive line blocked well.”
Now that Murray is getting the rock and gaining yards, the Eagles are winning games and find themselves in first place in the NFC East. Coincidence?
Maybe, maybe not, but Monday night’s rushing performance and victory weren’t enough for the Eagles.
“We all know what’s at stake and we’re not looking past anyone. This was a good Giants team and we were able to execute, but at the end of the day we’re just taking it one game at a time and we know we have a long way to go.”
