By Jack Ryan
The other side of the Eagles’ running back coin — the Birds’ ground game thrived with Ryan Matthews starting for dinged-up DeMarco Murray — is about to rear its head this Sunday against the Redskins.
Last Sunday must have been brutal for Murray after he not only was ruled unfit to play against the Jets because of a hamstring injury, but then had to watch as his backup, Mathews, ripped off a 27-yard run in his first carry, easily surpassing Murray’s rushing total from the previous two weeks, finishing with more than 100 yards and a TD reception.
Mathews would be the starting running back on many teams, and it is fair to wonder if, after the Eagles offense finally showed some life on Sunday, he should keep that job in Philly even after Murray returns. But Murray deserves another shot. Several more shots, even. The entire Eagles offense stunk in Weeks 1 and 2, and Murray, once healthy, should get a chance to prove he’s still one of the NFL’s best backs.
