Eagles No. 1-Ranked Run Defense will Face its Greatest Test - Vikings Dalvin Cook
There’s nobody better at stopping the run in the NFL right now than the Eagles defense.
They have been an immovable force, allowing an average of just 63 yards per game on the ground after five games.
That has them ranked No. 1 in the league.
“We put an emphasis on it,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on Tuesday. “Our guys pretty well know what to do.”
It is against this immoveable object that the Vikings will try to flex their running-game muscle when they host the Eagles Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX.
There are only two teams better at running the ball in the NFL at the moment than the Vikings and only one player has more yards rushing this season than Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook.
Cook’s 542 yards trails only Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey, who has 587 yards rushing.
Cook is averaging a league-best 5.9 yards per carry. He has also scored five touchdowns on the ground, which is one more than Eagles running back Jordan Howard.
Howard, however, has more than half as fewer yards than Cook with 248.
“Their running back is phenomenal,” said Eagles cornerback Orlando Scandrick on Tuesday. “He’s one of the best backs in this league. I’ve watched him since he was at Florida State. He runs really hard. He has great speed, he’s got great vision.”
The Vikings’ ground attack isn’t just all Cook, though.
Rookie Alexander Mattison, a 21-year-old third-round pick from Boise State, is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, with 34 carries for 189 yards.
Ameer Abdullah is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on six runs for 34 and even Mike Boone has gotten into the rushing act with three carries for 28 yards (9.3 yards per carry).
“First thing it looks like they've clicked the speed of the film up a little bit,” said Schwartz. “They're making big plays everywhere … that will get your attention real quick. We're a pretty strong run defense; they're a pretty strong run offense. It's going to be a great matchup on Sunday.”
A running game is only as good as its offensive line, and the Vikings seem to have sorted out theirs.
Drafting center Garrett Bradbury with the 18th overall pick this past spring has done wonders for a unit that hasn’t always been one of the team’s strengths.
“They play well as a unit,” said Schwartz. “A lot of zone blocking. A lot chop blocks, stretch run. You can see (Vikings Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor) Gary Kubiak's influence into their run game. And that's the thing.
“When you talk about the zone run game, it's not a one-on-one blocking endeavor. It's five guys, six guys, plus a fullback all working together and tying the running back into it. They're all on the same page and they do an outstanding job of it. Like I said, it's going to be a great match on Sunday. A good run defense against an outstanding run offense.”
The Eagles faced another talented runner this past week in New York Jets back Le’Veon Bell. The Eagles held Bell to just 43 yards on 15 carries (2.9 yards per carry), but the Vikings, as a team, are on a different level right now offensively than the Jets.
“They’re different style runners,” said Scandrick. “I think Dalvin is a one-cut downhill runner. Le’Veon is patient, great vision, great elusiveness. Both are great backs.”
The Vikings are averaging 166.4 yards per carry on the ground, which is third best in the league behind San Francisco (200 per game) and Baltimore (192.2).
Contrast those numbers to the Eagles, who check in with an average of 111.8 yards on the ground per game.
“It doesn't always look great,” said Schwartz, referring to his team’s ability to stop the run, “but going back to Sunday, that was such a big thing in that game. I can't tell you how much respect I have for Le'Veon Bell as a player.
“Not just with the run, but the pass. He made a couple three-yard runs in that game that a lot of other guys would be minus 5 or minus 6. He was able to squirt through a small hole or break a tackle or stay alive.”
Cook can do that, too, and probably more.
