Miles Sanders is bracing for a return to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the team has braced for him returning to the field by activating the 21-day practice window for their No. 1 running back on Wednesday. Sanders has missed the past three games with an ankle injury as the Eagles running game has thrived in his absence.
Philadelphia is first in the NFL over the last four weeks in rushes (157), rushing yards (761), rushing first downs (52), and missed tackles forced (28) -- one of which was the game Sanders went down with the injury. The Eagles have averaged 208.7 rushing yards per game in the three games without Sanders, which is first in the league.
Philadelphia has succeeded with Jordan Howard and Boston Scott in the rotation as head coach Nick Sirianni has committed to the ground game. Howard amassed 41 carries for 211 yards (5.1 yards per carry) in the three-game stretch, while Scott carried the ball 33 times for 181 yards (5.5 yards per carry).
"I can't say enough about how well the guys have done taking care of the football. And really protecting that football," Sirianni said Monday. "And conversely on the other side, right, that we took one away in a very critical moment to help us get a touchdown. And that starts with the running backs and Jalen because they're touching the ball every play. So, I wanted to make sure that I said that about our backs and how good a job they're doing protecting the football throughout this season."
Sanders has 63 carries for 300 yards with no touchdowns in seven games this season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
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