On Friday, the Eagles all-time leading rusher officially called it a career as a member of the team that drafted him. LeSean McCoy began his career with the Eagles in 2009 and left in 2015 under the pretense that he was a declining back. That was obviously just a narrative some fans used to justify Chip Kelly’s move at the time, as he went on the earn three more Pro Bowl selections during his time in Buffalo.
In total, McCoy finished his Eagles career with 9,074 yards from scrimmage, 44 rushing touchdowns, 13 receiving touchdowns, three Pro Bowls, and two first-team All-Pro selections. He’s the best back in Eagles history — his stats more than back it up.
In honor of this potential Hall of Famer hanging up the cleats, I figured we could take a look back at some of his best moments while he was in midnight green.
Here are the top-5 moments from Shady’s career in Philly.
5. 50-yard run to seal the victory over New York
November 21st, 2010. Week 10 at home against the Giants
In McCoy’s second 100-yard game as an Eagle, the team was in the midst of a heavy weight battle with their NFC East foe, the New York Giants. Remember when Eagles-Giants games used to be fun?
With the team up by just one point, the Eagles opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the 50 yard line. After Michael Vick bobbled the snap, he managed to toss it out to Shady who did the rest. Scampering past Giants defenders, McCoy found the end zone to all but seal the Eagles victory over New York. The team improved to 6-3 and took the lead in the East.
This game ended up being a pre-cursor to The Miracle at the Meadowlands 2, which took place just four weeks after this contest.
This was the first of many Shady runs that sealed victories for his Eagles. The fact that it was against the Giants just gives this one a little extra juice.
4. 30 carries, 185 yards, 2 touchdowns against Dallas on SNF
October 30th, 2011. Week 8 at home against the Cowboys
The infamous Dream Team season has gone down as one of the most disappointing years in Eagles history, but it did bring us McCoy’s first All-Pro season. And boy was he a menace for opposing defense during the 2011 campaign.
Entering the game with a 2-4 record, fighting to climb back into contention, the Eagles faced the Cowboys in front of a packed Philly crowd on prime time. From the opening snap, the Eagles thoroughly dominated Dallas, thanks in large part to Shady’s valiant effort on the ground. He finished the game with 185 rushing yards, averaging 6.17 yards a pop. He found the end zone twice and the Eagles walked out of the Linc with a 34-7 W.
McCoy was one of the lone bright spots for the Eagles this season. Week in and week out he performed at a high level and carried the Eagles offense for long stretches throughout the year. This game, under the Sunday night lights, was his greatest moment from that 2011 season.
3. Opening up the 2013 season with a bang
September 9th, 2013. Week 1 at Washington
The first game of the Chip Kelly era was fun, there’s no denying that, no matter how much you despise the guy.
The fast-paced, run-first attack was lethal in Chip’s first season, and LeSean McCoy was one of the many beneficiaries of this new look offense. In his first outing under Chip, Shady reminded everyone why he was an All-Pro player two years prior. He kicked off his season with a 184-yard performance in Washington against the defending NFC East champs, helping pave the way for Kelly’s first win in Philly.
Shady had some incredible moments in this game, most notably his 34-yard touchdown in the third quarter to increase the Eagles lead to 34-7. After an injury plagued 2012 season, it was great seeing Shady do his thing again.
Shady finished the season as the NFL rushing leader, totaling 1,607 yards on the ground while scoring 11 total touchdowns. He earned his second first-team All-Pro selection in 2013 and firmly cemented his status as the most dangerous running back in football.
2. Thanksgiving beatdown in Dallas
Thanksgiving Day, 2014. Week 13 at Dallas
McCoy just had a thing for going off against the Cowboys. In 10 career games facing Dallas, Shady averaged 91.8 rushing yards and found the end zone four times. In his final season as a Bird, McCoy had one final signature moment against Dallas.
Shady feasted on Dallas’ defense on Thanksgiving day, putting up 159 rushing yards while averaging over six yards per carry. His lone touchdown sealed the 33-10 victory for Philly as they took the lead in the NFC East.
In a year where McCoy took a bit of a step back production wise, this game reminded fans of how good he was with the ball in his hands. This was McCoy’s final 100-yard effort in an Eagles uniform, and while the Eagles moved to 9-3 and took the lead in the NFC East, they went on to lose three straight and miss out on the playoffs.
If the team would have won just one more game that year, they would’ve reached the postseason. Who knows how Shady’s career would have went had the Eagles reached the playoffs in his final season. I guess we’ll never know.
1. The Snow Bowl
December 8th, 2013. Week 14 at home against the Lions
217 rushing yards, 7.48 yards per carry, two touchdowns. An absolutely dominating performance from McCoy and an easy choice as his top moment in an Eagles uniform.
His 217 yards on the ground was the best single game total of his entire career. And doing it in the midst of a South Philly blizzard made it all the more impressive. Watching his highlights from that contest, it’s almost like he was playing a completely dry field while everyone else was feeling the effects on the slippery snow.
He made people miss on almost every carry, ran past defenders, and just made them look silly in the open field. All of the signature trademarks from McCoy were present in this game. Poetic elusiveness, break away speed, and big plays.
If anyone who’s never watched LeSean McCoy before wants to get an idea of just how good he was, put this game on, sit back, and watch the viewer be mesmerized by Shady’s greatness.
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