Miles Sanders Hits Milestone with Bigger Things to Come
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - On a team filled with superstars, Miles Sanders often gets overlooked but the Eagles’ running back has turned into a difference-maker in his own right.
Sanders ran for a career-high 144 yards on 17 carries, an imposing 8.5 yards per rush, with two touchdowns during a 48-22 rout over the New York Giants, which pushed Philadelphia to an imposing 12-1 and the title of first NFL team to clinch a postseason berth this season.
It was the second time in three weeks that Sanders reached a new career-high, the previous being 143 yards against Green Bay on Nov. 27.
“Everything’s coming together,” said Sanders. “My mindset changed and just focus on what I can control. That’s what I’ve been doing, whatever it is, blocking, whatever, I’m just having fun. As long as I’m having fun, I think everything else will take care of itself.”
The numbers pushed Sanders above 1,000 yards for the first time in his NFL career (1,068) and put him at 11 rushing TDs on the season, the first Eagles’ back to do that since LeSean McCoy in 2011.
Asked what means more to him, yards or touchdowns, Sanders said simply: "Super Bowl."
Sanders' success this season can be traced to the offseason when he said his workout regimen changed, though not much.
"My mindset changed," he said. "My demeanor changed and just focused on more important things and what I need to do to stay healthy. I’m in the training room sometimes when I don’t even need to be in there just to keep my body right."
On back-to-back plays during the third quarter with the game already well in hand, A.J. Brown went over 1,000 yards as a receiver, the third time he’s done it in four professional seasons, and Sanders cracked the number with a 15-yard run.
“It’s a pretty big deal. It’s a good thing for the team, for the organization. It’s a key to us winning all these games,” said Sanders when discussing the milestones.
Sanders, of course, is doing all of this in a contract year and in an environment where the Eagles and most of the rest of the NFL aren’t exactly excited about paying running back big money.
For now, though, that’s the furthest thing from Sanders’ mind as the Eagles have slowly morphed from a likely playoff team to a heavy favorite in the NFC.
“I ain’t worried about that. That’s going to come. I don’t want to talk about it,” Sanders said when asked about his contract. “... I worry about getting better every day and that’s what got me this far.”
The goals are now far bigger than the postseason or an NFC East title, it’s now Super Bowl or bust in Philadelphia.
“It’s big, but we’re not done,” Sanders said of the postseason. “We still have more stuff we want to do and have four more games to show it.”
And Sanders may be the final piece to an imposing offensive puzzle.
”Sky is the limit. As long as everybody keeps doing their job, I don’t think anybody can beat us,” he said. “As long as we can control what we control and not beat ourselves; like I said nobody can beat us.”
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
