Eagles running back Miles Sanders was activated off of injured reserve in time to play in Sunday's game against the Saints, the team announced Saturday. Sanders has missed the Eagles' past three games with an ankle injury.
In the Eagles' first seven games, Sanders rushed for 300 yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught 19 of 24 targets for 119 yards. With Sanders out, quarterback Jalen Hurts has emerged as the Eagles' leading rusher with 595 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Rookie Kenneth Gainwell is third on the team with 155 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries. Philadelphia is currently third in the NFL with 1,445 rushing yards and fourth with a 5-yards-per-carry average.
Sanders was the 53rd overall pick in the 2019 draft following an impressive career at Penn State. Sanders gained more than 1,300 all-purpose yards as a rookie before rushing for a career-high 867 yards last season. In 35 career games, Sanders has amassed 2,809 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns.
Philadelphia will face a Saints defense that is No. 1 in both rushing yards allowed and yards per carry allowed. The unit has been led by linebacker Demario Davis, who leads the Saints in tackles (65), forced fumbles (four) and is third in sacks (three).
The Eagles are currently 4-6 and 3.5 games behind the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East. The Saints are 5-4 and one game back of the Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South division race.
