Philadelphia produced only 45 yards on 23 rushes. Barkley managed a long carry of 9 yards, gutting out 44 yards on 18 attempts (2.4 avg.), and backup running back Tank Bigsby had a team-long rush of 11.
It was a significant improvement for a unit that had been gashed on the ground by the likes of Bijan Robinson (143 yards) in Week 2, Kenneth Gainwell (99) in Week 4 and Quinshon Judkins (110) in Week 5.
Several strong individual performances catalyzed the collective effort.
Shedding blocks like a German shepherd dog sheds hair, Jalen Redmond was one of the governors of the Eagles run game. He finished with 4 tackles, including one for a big loss of 6 early in the second quarter and another for no gain at the top of the fourth frame that caused Philly to attempt and miss a field goal.
Metellus said having Blake Cashman back in the middle was key to communication. ‘Cash’ started at linebacker next to Eric Wilson in his return from Injured Reserve. They combined for 10 tackles and a couple hits on Hurts. Wilson maintained his starting role, over Ivan Pace, Jr., and flashed with 1.5 sacks.
Dallas Turner also logged a sack, and Allen was credited with a half. Overall, the group’s trio of sacks extended Minnesota’s streak of at least 2.0 to 10 games, which is the longest active spree in the NFL.
“We knew they were trying to come in and run the ball just because of what we’ve been giving up on tape,” Metellus explained. “We were executing our early down stuff pretty well; I would say our third down stuff, too. We’ve just got to find a way to get Jalen to the ground and limit those extended plays.”
Allen shared his veteran perspective: “I think the thing about Philadelphia is – I don’t want to say they’re simple because obviously they’re a really great team – but they run their plays and they have a lot of confidence in their guys, and they just made the plays they needed to when it mattered, and we didn’t.”