Already a team record-setter, Sanders wants to be a winner
LANDOVER, MD. » A secondround draft pick out of Penn State with a chance to compete for immediate playing time, Miles Sanders established only sensible goals for his rookie season with the Eagles. As for re-writing franchise history, that wasn’t necessarily on the list.
“My expectation was to do whatever I can do to help,” Sanders said Sunday, after helping plenty in a 37-27 victory over the Washington Redskins. “That’s what I said when I first came to this team.”
As for his play, that said plenty.
With 122 rushing yards and 50 yards receiving Sunday,
Sanders would have 1,118 total offensive yards for the season, breaking DeSean Jackson’s Eagles rookie standard of 1,108. And with a 56yard run juicing his boxscore line, Sanders would finish the day with 689 rushing yards (and counting) for the season, bettering LeSean McCoy’s franchise rookie standard of 637.
History, indeed.
“It’s a blessing, man,” Sanders said. “This stuff doesn’t feel real. But I don’t want to make this about me. It’s great to be mentioned with those guys, to be in the same conversation as those guys. But I was focused on getting this W. We know what we have at stake. We know what’s in front of us. And I was just trying to get the W.”
While in the midst of setting those records, Sanders did plenty to do that, too. His 15-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz helped give the Eagles a 1714 third quarter lead. And his 56-yard effort on thirdand-10 was a fourth-quarter difference-maker, taking the Eagles from their 25 to the Washington 19, setting up a go-ahead Jake Elliott field goal.
“It was just trusting the call,” Wentz said. “I thought we had a good look for the run and it ended up being a little hairy. But Miles made the play.”
In a rookie season that hadn’t been always so productive, Sanders has frolicked in recent weeks, having assumed the feature-back role full-time while Jordan Howard continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
Sanders had 83 rushing yards in a game three weeks ago in Miami, produced 69 total yards in a critical victory Monday night over the Giants, and was the difference Sunday at FedEx Field.
“It’s experience, just seeing it over and over again and getting the reps during the week, being ‘the guy,’ so to speak,” Doug Pederson said. “He has been working with (running backs coach) Duce Staley and has consistently been in the classroom.
“Even though he is technically a rookie, through experience, you get better each week.”
With little encouragement that Howard soon will return, the Eagles will need Sanders to continue his record-setting ways when the Cowboys visit the Linc Sunday … then, if they have their way, in the postseason.
He is ready for that go-to back title.
“I’m working my way to be that,” he said. “I’m still a rookie, still learning, getting better each week. But this game is special. This is a dream come true to me.”
With that, he has met or exceeded his own expectations.
“I am just trying to give this team a chance to get wins each week,” he said. “That’s my job. It’s definitely a blessing, breaking these records and getting recognized.
But I’m trying to get the win.”
That much, he has done in the last two weeks, helping to keep the injury-troubled Eagles relevant into Week 16.
“When you have guys banged up like that and the type of season I’m having, I was going to go out there and say, ‘Put the game on my shoulders and let’s go ball out,’” Sanders said. “I can’t do that without the offensive line doing what they do. We have an All-Star offensive line.”
And a record-setting rookie back.