There has been a lot of focus on the fumble that Miles Sanders lost against the Saints last Sunday and rightfully so. It was a big play.
But there’s another mistake he made that needs to get corrected too.
With just 4:23 left in the game, with the Eagles up two scores, Sanders broke free for 14 yards and a first down. That’s the good part. The bad part is he ran out of bounds instead of staying in and running the clock.
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This isn’t the first time this has happened.
“We pulled him out of the game and just reminded him, again, to stay in bounds,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “He had two in Carolina. Repeat offenders of things, we usually get mad about. He knows. Shoot, if he had that next carry and didn't have to come out of the game to be reminded to stay inbounds, he would have had a hundred yards. He found that out and he knows that.
“We're working on getting it fixed. I know Miles wants to get it fixed more than anybody.”
Sanders knows he made a mistake, but it’s a frustrating one for a coaching staff that preaches football intelligence and situational awareness.
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“Mentally, I just have to stay locked in and know what I have to do” Sanders said.
Sanders was pulled after that gaffe in favor of Boston Scott, who gained 1 yard. Sanders returned one play later and gained 3 yards. On the next play, Jalen Hurts busted loose for a 24-yard touchdown and Sanders finished with 94 on the ground.
“Just gotta learn from my mistakes,” Sanders said. “There’s certain stuff I gotta do and gotta follow. Just gotta be disciplined and follow. Despite (not getting) the 100 yards, I’m just happy we won the game.”
In his return from a three-game absence with an ankle injury, Sanders played fairly well aside from a few blunders. He still managed to pick up 94 yards on 16 carries. And with Jordan Howard (knee) expected to be out this week against the Giants, the Eagles are really going to be relying on Sanders.
Sanders still thinks there will be a running back rotation between him, Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell.
But if Sanders can get hot, don’t be surprised to see the Eagles ride him.
“Definitely willing to go hot hand. Definitely willing to do that,” Sirianni said. “But, yeah, right now it's just been by committee, and we think that's working well. But if somebody gets hot, no doubt we'll stick with it.”
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