PHILADELPHIA — The record of elite speeding performances in Philadelphia Eagles postseason historical past is a brief one. Steve Van Buren, Wilbert Montgomery, Brian Westbrook, and Donovan McNabb grew to become franchise playoff legends because of their 100-yard video games in memorable postseason performances.
Add Kenny Gainwell to that unique membership. Yes, that Kenny Gainwell.
Gainwell led a dominant speeding assault by the Eagles in Saturday’s 38-7 blitzkrieg of the New York Giants, as Philadelphia completed with a whomping 268 yards on the bottom. The second-year participant led the Eagles with 112 speeding yards in turning into simply the sixth Eagles participant to hurry for 100 yards in a postseason sport — the primary since Brian Westbrook in 2006.
Finishing with a powerful 9.2 yards per carry, Gainwell grew to become simply the second Eagles participant to hurry for 100 yards and common 9.0 yards per carry in a playoff sport. Gainwell joined McNabb (107 yards, 9.7 yards per carry in 2003 NFC divisional spherical) as the one gamers to perform that feat.
“I can not say nothing about myself. I can solely say one thing concerning the offensive line,” Gainwell mentioned after the sport. “I imply, them guys. They got here to work and so they did what they needed to do to be sure that all of us get the yards and do what he needed to do to get the win.”
The efficiency got here from probably the most unlikely of working backs on the Eagles roster. Gainwell was the third-string working again on the depth chart, having an up-and-down season after the previous fifth-round decide mixed for 544 yards and 6 touchdowns in his rookie yr.
Gainwell was imagined to take the following step within the Eagles offense heading into Year Two, however struggled with inconsistency all through coaching camp and fell behind Boston Scott on the depth chart. Stuck because the No. 3 working again a lot of the season, Gainwell noticed his carries diminish and his numbers decline (409 mixed yards, 4 touchdowns).
The diminished function is tough for Gainwell to simply accept after he appeared on his method towards turning into the No. 1 working again on this offense at one level. Being the third-down again is vital for the Eagles’ speeding assault, which helps Gainwell embrace it.
“I do know my function,” Gainwell mentioned. “And I play my function to the perfect capability I can. I do not take it without any consideration. I’m going on the market and work extraordinarily arduous. Try to dam as a lot as I can and once I do get the ball on third downs, I need to exit and execute.”
Gainwell capped the profession night time with a 35-yard landing run late within the fourth quarter to place the exclamation level on the 31-point victory. The landing run was the longest within the NFL playoffs since Lamar Jackson’s 48-yard run within the 2020 AFC wild-card spherical and was additionally the longest for the Eagles since Westbrook rushed for a 62-yard rating within the 2006 NFC divisional spherical.
While Gainwell was one of many unlikeliest gamers to be a postseaosn hero for the Eagles, he waited patiently by way of a irritating season for this second. The Eagles wanted Gainwell to revert again to the explosive participant he was in 2021.
Now he is etched in franchise playoff lore.
“I did the whole lot I may to verify I may come on this sport and be the perfect that I can,” Gainwell mentioned. “I give all of it to my offseason work and trusting what I can do. … Every alternative I get to assist the group out, I’m eternally grateful for it.
“Sure it is up-and-down, however I can not say sufficient about how I’m going on the market and deal with enterprise.”
