RADIO
This season, things have been fairly complicated in Philadelphia. For starters, Eagles supporters don’t exactly have the reputation for being the kindest, most patient of NFL fans.
Add to that unending questions surrounding Chip Kelly’s managerial sanity, Sam Bradford’s ability to throw an actual football and DeMarco Murray’s desire to gain positive yardage, and it’s easy to see why morale has been up and down in the City of Brotherly Love.
However, after a pair of season-saving wins over the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, it’s quite possible the Eagles might have finally turned a corner. In the team’s Week 7 matchup against the undefeated Carolina Panthers, if such momentum is to remain, DeMarco Murray will need to take a more prominent, positive role in the offense.
That said, seeing as how recent weeks have been kind to Murray, this isn’t all too far outside the realm of possibility. The Eagles’ offensive line, for example, has shown real signs of improvement in the past two weeks, helping Murray run for two touchdowns and 195 yards on 41 carries. Crunch the numbers and that comes out to about 4.8 yards per carry.
Putting things in perspective, during Murray’s breakout season last year with the Dallas Cowboys, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry. While it’s much easier to maintain an impressive yards-per-carry average over the course of two weeks than it is an entire season, statistically speaking, Murray is headed in the right direction with his play.
Furthermore, toss in Ryan Matthews’ 4.9 yards-per-carry average and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and Philadelphia has a viable shot to take down the undefeated Panthers team.
Even better for Philadelphia fans, though armed with an impressive pass defense, Carolina’s run defense ranks 18th in the league—average, at best. Needless to say, the tag-team due of Murray and Matthews will play a big part in helping calm the troubled hearts of Eagles fans all over the country.
Yes, DeMarco Murray has struggled to live up to the reputation he built for himself while in Dallas last season. But, if Bradford can keep his turnover total down and properly orchestrate the run-heavy offense Kelly has wanted to implement all season, fantasy owners should feel confident giving DeMarco Murray the nod in this Week 7 fixture.
