DeMarco Murray is overshadowing LeSean McCoy so far

LeSean McCoy walked off the AT&T Stadium field in December celebrating a season-finale win over the Dallas Cowboys with a championship belt draped over his shoulder. The Eagles running back clinched his first rushing title on that night last season, and he boasted about that belt throughout the offseason.

Almost three months into his title defense, it sounds as if McCoy is ready to bequeath the belt to Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, who has rushed for 1,354 yards - 403 more than any other player this season.

"He's kind of winning the belt right now," McCoy said Tuesday. "If he continues on this pace, he'll have it. I've got to send him the belt."

For admirers of prolific running backs, the Thanksgiving game between the Eagles and Cowboys provides a showdown of the best rusher last season against the best rusher this season. Even if the two running backs don't directly play each other, McCoy did not hide from the idea that the two compete against one another.

"He's the top back, especially this year," McCoy said. "You compete as a team and you compete individually. I think every player does that. I'm sure [Jeremy Maclin] is eyeing up [Dez Bryant] to have that thing going on. All players do that."

But McCoy noted that it's really about team success, and he avoided discussing Murray's rushing style because he did not want the story line to turn into McCoy vs. Murray.

Too late for that.

McCoy is aware of the lofty territory they occupy. He wanted Adrian Peterson to play when the Eagles visited the Vikings last season. He paid his respects to Arian Foster before the Eagles-Texans game earlier this season. He has kept track of Murray from afar since the Cowboys' scorching start.

"Everybody always want to be the top at their position, or recognized in the top group," McCoy said. "From guys hanging out, talking about it, or people talking about the top guys, you want to be one of the guys. Maybe people aren't as vocal about certain players, but it goes on."

Murray is on pace for 1,969 yards this season. McCoy said that when the Cowboys featured a pass-heavy attack in recent seasons, he wondered why they didn't get Murray more involved. Murray has been prone to injuries, but he averaged only 14.6 carries per game in his first three years. He is averaging 24 carries per game this season.

"This is the top rusher in the NFL and they're committed to the run, so we know we have a big challenge of stopping the run game this week," Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. "And I think as the season's progressed, we've got better and better, especially the inside run. It's tough to run inside on us."

Murray and the offensive line that paves the way for him have received a steady stream of praise this week, but the Eagles' defensive linemen have been confident in their ability to stop the run. Murray rushed for only 2.8 yards per carry against the Eagles last season, and the same three-man front of Fletcher Cox, Cedric Thornton, and Bennie Logan has been stout for most of this season.

It shapes up as an interesting matchup because the Eagles have allowed a 100-yard rusher just once this season and Murray has topped 100 yards in all but one of his games.

"A lot of times when you two-gap, it's not a glorified position to two-gap and stop the inside run," Davis said of his line. "Nobody writes articles about that, so you don't hear about them much, but boy, they're playing well in the run game."

Murray has a 495-yard edge on McCoy in rushing yards, so it's unlikely that the Eagle will catch him in the final five games of the season. However, this is the time of year when McCoy is at his best. McCoy topped 100 yards in three of the final four games last season, and he has said that teams win late in the season by rushing the ball.

McCoy's 130-yard performance on Sunday could be an indication of what's to come in the final month, with an offensive line that is getting healthier and more comfortable together.

"It's a combination of multiple factors," guard Evan Mathis said of the late-season rushing success. "The tempo we play at, we get in better shape. When other teams are wearing down late in the season, we're in the weight room getting stronger each day. Also, when you have everybody playing together, there's a bit more chemistry there and that continues to grow each week."

That belt has been a burden this season, because McCoy's production is constantly compared to last year's. It's easy to overlook that McCoy is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards and is on pace for 1,249 yards, which would be the third-best season of his career. The production pales compared to Murray's, but the Eagles don't need McCoy to match him. They just need McCoy to look like he did when he earned that belt.

"I think lately, we've been rolling," McCoy said. "I think it's coming together. I expect to pick up yards the next couple weeks. I don't know how many or if I can compete with last year, but I definitely feel like we'll finish up with a good number."

Who is the better running back, the Eagles' LeSean McCoy or the Cowboys' DeMarco Murray? Here is how they compare year vs. year, and of late:

THROUGH 11 GAMES

Murray 2014   268   1,354   5.1   7

Fumbles: 5; 100-yard games: 10; Receiving: 38 for 303

McCoy 2014   217   859   4.0   3

Fumbles: 2; 100-yard games: 3; Receiving: 23 for 111

McCoy 2013   213   969   4.5   5

Fumbles: 1; 100-yard games: 4; Receiving: 35 for 399

LAST 6 GAMES

Murray   138   684   5.0   2

McCoy   123   586   4.8   2

EndText