Sproles dominates in his small way

INDIANAPOLIS - A four-play sequence in the third quarter exhibited the dangerous dynamic the Eagles envisioned this season with the running back tandem of LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles.

One moment, McCoy was running around the Colts' defense for a 21-yard gain on third-and-15. The next, it was the diminutive Sproles bruising his way into the end zone for an impressive game-tying touchdown.

Eight days after the offense struggled to maintain a consistent ground attack, the performances of the Eagles running backs proved crucial in Monday night's come-from-behind 30-27 win over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Sproles, in particular, impressed again, amassing a career-high 178 total yards on only 11 combined touches on the ground and through the air.

"He's just a special player," Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. "I mean the first day we had him it was, 'How many different ways can we find ways to get him the football.' He is just a dynamic football player, and we're really excited. He can run it. He can catch it. He can do it all. He's a complete running back and he really came up huge for us tonight."

Sproles, a 5-6 speedster known more throughout his 10-year career for his pass catching than his rushing prowess, hauled in a game-high seven passes (on seven targets) for a career-high 152 receiving yards. Included were catch-and-runs of 57 and 51 yards. The latter set up the Eagles' game-tying touchdown with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter, when Nick Foles found Jeremy Maclin for a 6-yard score.

"He's made high-impact type plays," offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "A couple of the screen runs he had today were terrific. They sort of made the difference."

McCoy, last season's NFL rushing champion, carried 20 times for 79 yards and a score and caught four passes for 23 yards. His 1-yard rush up the gut midway through the third quarter was the Eagles' first touchdown of the game and brought them within seven points of the Colts.

On the next possession, Sproles followed it up with one of the more impressive runs you will see from a player his size. Jason Kelce's illegal use of hands penalty pinned the Eagles back to the 19-yard line, where they faced second-and-goal. Sproles took the handoff, rushed around the right edge and got to about the 8-yard line before a Colts defender made contact with him. Despite five blue shirts in the area, No. 43 in white evaded linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, bounced off cornerback Darius Butler and somehow found his way into the end zone.

Sproles' score came three plays after McCoy's 21-yard run on third-and-15, a play called to simply get in better field-goal position.

After Andrew Luck connected with Ahmad Bradshaw on a 7-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Sproles came right back with another game-changing play. On second-and-10, he took a screen pass from Foles and scurried 51 yards, all the way to the 6-yard line.

On the game's final offensive possession, a 17-yard gain on a screen pass from Foles to Sproles helped set up Cody Parkey's game-winning 36-yard field goal.

The production from the running backs came behind a makeshift offensive line featuring journeyman Andrew Gardner at right tackle and Dennis Kelly at left guard. It also came on the heels of a combined 145-yard rushing yard performance in the season-opening win against the Jaguars.

Though Sproles provided a highlight-reel-worthy touchdown run against the Jaguars, McCoy had experienced a mostly quiet season opener. He carried 21 times for 74 yards that day, good for 3.5 yards per rush. Eight of his carries against Jacksonville had gone for zero or negative yards, and on the Eagles' 31 running plays aside from Sproles' careerlong score, they combined to gain only 3.1 yards per carry.

But Monday night, in a game that saw the Eagles trail by 11 at halftime, the duo combined for 105 rushing yards on 24 carries, a tad less than 4.4 yards per rush.

And Sproles, the offense's top offseason acquisition, continued to prove incredibly more valuable than the fifth-round draft pick for which he was acquired from the Saints.

"I don't think we miss a beat when LeSean is out for a play or two," Chip Kelly said. "And I think LeSean feels comfortable if he has a big run that hey I can go out for a play because [No.] 43 can go in and there's not a dropoff.

"He's a really, really good weapon to have on your side."