D'Andre Swift's first two games in Philadelphia were polar opposites. In Week 1, he took just one carry for three yards. In Week 2, he dominated, toting the rock 28 times for 175 yards and a touchdown.
Swift's Week 2 performance might have "Wally Pipped" Kenneth Gainwell, who missed the game due to injury, out of the lead-back duties in Philly. Swift played 58 snaps, third-most in his career, and his 31 touches were his second-most in a game.
The question for the oft-injured back is whether that sort of workload is sustainable.
"We're going to ride the hot hand," coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday, via the team's official transcript. "Do I think it's sustainable? Shoot, his body is ready to go. I don't ever want to put an expectation on anybody. If he's got the hot hand on Monday night, we'll keep rolling with him.
"We feel really good about the work he puts in to make sure his body is right. It's hard not to -- running the ball like that, give it to him 35 times. It's hard not to do that."
The Eagles built their 2023 backfield with rushers who boast talent but have a history of injury issues. Swift has never played a full season in three years in Detroit. Likewise, Rashaad Penny suffered a litany of injuries in Seattle.
If Gainwell is healthy, he could siphon off some of Swift's touches in Week 3 in Tampa Bay. But Swift certainly showed he can shoulder the load. With how the roster is constructed, Sirianni has the luxury of riding the hot hand until it cools or injury strikes. Then it's the next man up in the rotation.
