McCoy reminded everyone he's an elite player

LeSean McCoy was one of the last players dressed on Thursday night, and when he finally stepped into view of cameras, he wore a wardrobe that seemed stolen from a Michael Jackson music video.

It takes a certain amount of bravado to conduct a news conference in a white leather jacket, which is why there was no surprise that McCoy chose his ensemble.

McCoy is a bona fide superstar, and he reminded a national audience of it on Thanksgiving. The Eagles running back rushed for a season-high 159 yards in a 33-10 win over the Cowboys, giving him his second consecutive 100-yard game and his fourth 1,000-yard season. For a player who two weeks ago reminded any doubters that he is the same player from one year ago, McCoy said Thursday's game reminded him of the way he played when he led the league in rushing last season.

"It did, it really did," McCoy said. "Just the holes, the reads, the space, the one-on-ones, making guys miss. It felt like last year."

Ever since McCoy declared he's the same player, he's rushed for 289 yards with 6.3 yards per carry. McCoy enters the weekend second in the NFL in rushing, and he's on pace for 1,357 yards. That would be the second-best season of his career. To borrow the Mark Twain expression, reports of McCoy's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

"LeSean's just a resilient guy," coach Chip Kelly said. "I've said since the beginning, he's our guy. He came to play. He's a big-time player. He had a great game down here last year. Obviously, had another great game."

The concern about McCoy had been his inconsistent performances early this season. He had 4 yards per carry in six of the first 10 games. That happened only five times all of last season.

The biggest change came when the offensive line became healthier and had more continuity. The Eagles have had seven starting offensive-line combinations. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce both missed much of the first two months of the season, and they are two of the best players on the team. Lane Johnson missed the first four games. Todd Herremans was lost for the season earlier this month, creating more instability at right guard.

The quintet has now settled together, with Andrew Gardner playing well in Herremans' spot, and the four starters from last season healthy and together. Kelly said the line had its best game of the season against the Cowboys.

"We've had a lot of different lineups through the course of the season, and two games with this group now, I thought they've done a really good job," Kelly said. "Set the tone."

The Eagles seem especially pleased with Gardner, a journeyman who has been steady in two starts at right guard. Kelly liked the way he's working with Johnson on the right side.

McCoy said that the Eagles' offensive line does not get enough credit, especially with all the discussion about the Cowboys' blockers leading up to the game.

"I had so many more opportunities to make guys miss one-on-one. So much space," McCoy said. "At times, I had too much space, and I made the wrong cut. The game ball really belongs to those guys up front for sure, because they had their best game. And they're getting back. It's kind of like my line again."

McCoy is just starting to heat up, and for a player who appreciates a big stage, there are more big games to come. The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks visit next week with the NFL's best rushing offense and fifth-best rushing defense. Then comes each of the three NFC East rivals.

If Thursday's performance was any indication, McCoy's star could get brighter in the season's final month.

"Actually, for the big game I had today, I missed some yards," McCoy said. "I didn't play like I wanted to. I played good, but I could play better."

Foles update. A CT scan of Nick Foles' broken collarbone on Friday revealed normal progress, a source close to the situation said.

The Eagles quarterback suffered the injury on Nov. 2, and the original prognosis for at least a 6-to-8 week recovery hasn't changed, the source said.

@ZBerm