Eagles expect Dallas to test run defense

For the first five weeks of the season, teams ran at will against the Eagles. In fact, the Bills even joked about it after racking up 143 total rushing yards.

Then, something funny happened. The defense made some adjustments and limited the Washington Redskins to just 42 yards on the ground.

Did the Eagles fix that porous run defense? It’s hard to make a convincing argument they did, with just one week of evidence. (After all, they still rank 23rd in the NFL against the run). And with Cowboys rookie sensation DeMarco Murray coming to town, the Eagles are expecting another big test.

“I wouldn’t doubt it. I mean they got a pretty good offensive line, a good running back, so why wouldn’t they [run at us]?” said Mike Patterson. “I’m sure other teams are going to want to see more than just one game.”

 If Patterson can’t slow Murray down at the line of scrimmage, it’ll be up to the linebackers to stop him before he reaches the secondary.

“The main thing you want to do, no matter what team you’re playing, is stop the run,” said Jamar Chaney. “If you can’t stop the run, it’s hard. They got two ways to go, they got play-action and then they can run the ball.”