Jordan Howard downplayed his first game playing the Chicago Bears all week, not wanting to get emotional facing the team that drafted him. The Philadelphia Eagles running back did his talking on the field, having 19 carries for 82 touchdowns and a touchdown in Philadelphia's 22-14 win over Chicago.
Howard showed some emotion after scoring a 13-yard touchdown against his former team in the third quarter, a parting shot for a team that traded him to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick. The Bears essentially gave up on Howard in favor of Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery, the team's third-round pick in this year's draft, but Howard has more rushing yards (525) than the two of them combined (469).
"I just did a little more talking than I usually do," Howard said after the game in facing his former team. "There was a little back-and-forth with the guys. Everything else was normal.
"It was definitely a little strange, because I didn't really go against them that much in practice. They never really tackled me."
The Bears entered the game with the sixth-best run defense, allowing 86 rush yards per game. Howard and the Eagles offense gashed them for 146 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Howard was the bell cow of the backs, having nine carries for 37 yards in the first half and 10 carries for 45 yards with a score in the second half.
Chicago knew Philadelphia's strategy when Howard was in the game. The Bears still couldn't stop him.
"They were tired. They knew what we were going to do, but we're still hard to stop sometimes," Howard said. "Our offensive line got a great push, and we made the right plays."
The Bears decided to deal Howard in the last year of his contract in an attempt to revamp the running game. The combination of Montgomery, Cohen and Mike Davis have 149 carries for 494 yards and five touchdowns (3.3 yards per carry). Howard has 119 carries for 525 yards and six touchdowns (4.4 yards per carry).
Howard proved the Eagles won this deal, while the Bears are stuck with Cohen and Davis having 37 carries for 88 yards and no touchdowns. Doesn't hurt the Eagles are winning games because of him while the Bears struggle to get points on the board and have a losing record as a result.
"I don't need validation from anybody," Howard said. "I don't worry about what they do, because I'm here now. I wanted to get this win, because it was just the next game. I was definitely amped up for this one a little more."
