While Thursday night’s eye-popping 28-carry, 175-yard rushing performance might indicate otherwise, D’Andre Swift isn’t a workhorse running back.
The 5-foot-9, 211-pound St. Joe’s Prep product had just 364 carries in three seasons with the Lions before getting traded to the Eagles in April. Averaged just 8.7 rushing attempts per game in Detroit.
Had just four 100-yard rushing performances in the Motor City. Racked up more than 20 carries in a game only once. That was in 2021 when he had 33 in a 16-16 tie with the Steelers.
He paid the price for that 33-carry game. Missed four of the next eight games with a shoulder injury and got just 28 more carries the rest of the season. Last year, an ankle injury limited him to 99 carries.
Bottom line: while you want Swift on the field as much as possible, you don’t want to overwork him, or he’ll be spending the playoffs in a hospital bed. You want to find a happy medium between the two touches he got in Week 1 and the 31 he got Thursday night.
Swift’s 28 carries against the Vikings were the most by an Eagles running back since 2013, when LeSean McCoy had 31 and 29 rushing attempts in wins over Washington and Detroit that season.
The Eagles rushed for 259 yards on 48 carries against the Vikings. It was their 10th 200-yard rushing performance in the 36 regular-season games that Nick Sirianni has been the team’s head coach. It was the seventh time in those 36 games that they’ve had 40 or more carries.
In their season-opener against the Patriots, the Eagles used 11-personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) on all but seven of their 61 offensive plays. Used 12-personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) just four times.
On Thursday night, they relied much more on 12-personnel than they did in Week 1. After a leg injury to Quez Watkins left them shorthanded at wide receiver, they used 12P on 23 of 34 plays in the second half.
The Eagles rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries with 12P. That’s 6.9 yards per carry. Swift rushed for 114 yards on 14 carries (8.1 yards per carry) with 12P.
BY THE NUMBERS
–The Eagles, who had the highest red-zone run percentage in the NFL last season (66.7%), are once again staying on the ground when they’re inside the 20. They converted three of four red-zone opportunities against Minnesota. Ran 10 plays on those four trips inside the 20. Nine of them were runs, including Jalen Hurts’ two one-yard TDs and Swift’s two-yard score. The Eagles have had 17 plays in the red zone in the first two games. Thirteen, or 76.5%, have been run plays.
–The NFL decided not to ban the Tush Push during the offseason, and the Eagles clearly plan to continue maximizing the strategy. They were 3-for-3 Thursday night on quarterback sneaks, including two touchdowns. They didn’t have an opportunity to use the play in Week 1 against the Patriots. Last season, including the playoffs, Jalen Hurts converted 36 of 40 quarterback sneaks. He was 6-for-6 on QB sneaks in the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
–Just two of the Eagles’ 14 third-down situations against the Vikings were three yards or less. They converted both of them. They’re 5-for-5 on third downs of three yards or less in the first two games, but only 5-for-22 on third-and-four or more.
–Hurts was 2-for-5 for 117 yards and one touchdown on deep balls (throws that traveled 20 or more yards in the air) against the Vikings. Both deep-ball completions were to DeVonta Smith – an early 54-yard completion and 63-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
–Hurts’ 78.3 completion percentage Thursday (18-for-23) was the second-highest of his career. He had an 83.9 completion percentage (26-for-31) last season against the Vikings.
–Tight end Dallas Goedert had six catches against the Vikings for just 22 yards. He had just seven yards after the catch on those six receptions.
–The Eagles held Minnesota to 28 rushing yards on nine carries. In their first two games, they’ve allowed just 3.3 yards per carry.
–Josh Sweat had a huge game Thursday night. He had eight pressures on Kirk Cousins, per Pro Football Focus, including a fumble-inducing sack and four hits.
