When Shane Steichen smells blood, he’ll end you off.
And the extra success the Eagles had operating the ball down the Giants’ throats Saturday evening, the extra the Eagles’ offensive coordinator dialed up the operating assault.
When the smoke had settled, the Eagles had rushed for 268 yards and three touchdowns of their 38-7 demolition of the Giants of their NFC semifinal sport on the Linc.
They stored doing it and the Giants couldn’t cease it. By the tip of the evening, the Giants weren’t even making an attempt.
“The operating backs have been hitting the opening and getting downhill laborious,” Dallas Goedert stated. “It was enjoyable to be on the market.”
Within the first half, it was all Miles Sanders. He ran 13 instances for 75 yards earlier than halftime. The second half, it was all Kenny Gainwell. He ran 9 instances for 90 yards after halftime.
Gainwell recorded his first profession 100-yard efficiency with 112 yards on simply 12 carries – that’s the 4th-most dashing yards ever by a operating again in a playoff sport on 12 or fewer carries – and Sanders was 17-for-90 with simply 4 carries within the second half. Boston Scott added 6-for-32 and a landing.
Speak about a three-headed monster.
“That’s a 1-2-3 punch proper there,” Gainwell stated. “Simply go on the market and deal with enterprise. We work extraordinarily laborious in apply and it’s all paying off.”
Gainwell is just the fifth Eagles operating again with 100 yards within the playoffs, becoming a member of Steve Van Buren, Wilbert Montgomery, Heath Sherman and Brian Westbrook.
The Eagles’ 268 dashing yards are second-most in Eagles postseason historical past. They ran for 274 in opposition to the Rams once they received the 1949 NFL Championship at L.A. Coliseum. It’s additionally Sixteenth-most by any crew in playoff historical past.
It’s additionally essentially the most dashing yards ever in opposition to the Giants within the postseason, breaking the report of 246 set by the Lions within the 1935 NFL Championship Recreation at College of Detroit Stadium.
Nothing like breaking an 87-year-old report.
Within the first 89 years of the Eagles-Giants rivalry, the Eagles ran for 250 yards 5 instances in opposition to the Giants. They’ve now finished it twice within the final seven weeks. Of their 48-22 win in December, the Eagles ran for 253 yards and 4 TDs.
In all, the Eagles rushed for 656 yards and eight touchdowns of their three wins over the Giants this yr, and so they had a special main rusher in every sport – Sanders within the 48-22 win in December, Scott two weeks in the past and Gainwell Saturday evening.
Ask any of the backs the important thing to the success of the operating sport and so they’ll provide the similar reply.
“The (o-line), in the beginning,” Sanders stated. “I come up right here and say the identical stuff, however the stuff that they do all through the week and put together with coach Stout is superb to me. … After we know we’re going to get an opportunity to run the ball, the (line) and operating backs take it upon ourselves to only make a press release each time.”
The Eagles turned solely the eighth crew in NFL historical past to have two gamers rush for 90 or extra yards and common 5.0 per carry in a playoff sport and the fourth crew with three gamers averaging 5.0 yards per keep on six or extra carries.
Gainwell’s 35-yard TD with two minutes left is the 4th-longest TD run in Eagles postseason historical past, behind Wilbert Montgomery’s 42-yarder within the 1980 NFC Championship Recreation win over the Cowboys on the Vet and two Brian Westbrook runs six days aside in 2006 – 49 yards in opposition to the Giants on the Linc and 62 yards in opposition to the Saints on the Superdome.
“Everyone is aware of I’m the Third-down again, however each alternative I get to assist the crew out I’m grateful for,” Gainwell stated. “I do know my position and I play my position to one of the best skill I can.”
Gainwell is just the sixth Fifth-round choose in historical past to hurry for 112 yards in a playoff sport, and the primary since one-time Eagle Dorsey Levens of the Packers ran for 116 yards in opposition to the 49ers in a 1999 convention semifinal loss at Candlestick.
Thanks in nice half to the operating assault, the Eagles had an 11 ½-minute time-of-possession edge. Their three dashing TDs tied the franchise report set within the 1980 win over the Vikings.
Their 6.1 common is Fifth-highest all-time within the postseason by a crew operating the ball a minimum of 44 instances and the best in 25 years.
The Eagles earned a visit to their seventh NFC Championship Recreation since 2001. They’ll host the winner of the Cowboys-49ers sport in Santa Clara on Sunday.
“It’s a win-or-go-home mentality,” Sanders stated. “Everyone is aware of what’s at stake for these kind of video games. We’ve simply bought to play our greatest ball, and that’s what we’ve been making an attempt to evangelise and do every sport this complete season.
“We nonetheless assume we haven’t performed our greatest ball. Simply completely happy to get this ‘W.’ Nonetheless hungry, and we’re not finished.”
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