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McCoy, coming off his finest game of the season a 149-yard effort in a 27-0 win over the New York Giants, faces an Arizona Cardinals' defense that has allowed an average of just 72 yards rushing per game when the Eagles visit Arizona on Sunday.

'I'm sure they're going to try to take the run away,' McCoy said. 'What's so impressive about that defense is the way they utilize players. They have some guys out, and other guys just step up and play. They're fast. They're physical. They're a good defense.'

McCoy, last year's league leading rusher with 1,607 yards, managed a total of 39 yards on 29 carries in consecutive games against San Francisco and Washington.

He came back with an 81-yard game against the St. Louis Rams before his breakout game two weeks ago against the Giants. The Eagles had a bye last week.

The Eagles still are missing two of their best offensive linemen - All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and invaluable center Jason Kelce. That's a big reason McCoy has struggled running the ball.

But according to the Sports Xchange, head coach Chip Kelly did two things against the Giants that kick-started the ground game: He inserted a counter play into the game plan. And he had his quarterback, Nick Foles, line up more under center and less in shotgun.

"(The counter) was something to get me to the open edge," McCoy said. "To give me some one-on-one opportunities. A lot of teams have been bringing a safety down (in the box). This was something coach came up with to get me some space to work."

"We've had (the counter plays) for a few weeks," center David Molk said. "But it's the first time we really used it. It's really to take the pressure off the front side of our zone. Because if they're going to heavily weigh (their defense to one side), you go the other way, right? Common sense."

In their first five games, the Eagles never ran more than seven plays with Foles under center. Against the Giants, he was under center for 22 of 71 offensive plays.

Thirteen of those 22 plays were McCoy runs. He gained 75 yards on those runs.

McCoy said he prefers having Foles under center rather than in shotgun.

"That really helped out," he said. "Just because, sometimes, (when the quarterback is under center), you can see it better. You can see the cuts better, the lanes better. If there is some pressure, you can adjust to it and kind of move the way you want to move.

"Whereas in the gun, you're already kind of going sideways. And if there is a little pressure, it knocks you back off your course. Under center, you can get back to it.

"I like under center. I like 'em both. But I would take under center more."

As the Associated Press notes, Arizona has not allowed a running back gain more than 64 yards in any game this season and the most any team has gained against the Cardinals is 92, by Denver in Arizona's only loss on the year.

'They blitz a lot (to stop the run),' McCoy said. 'They send guys that you don't think are coming. I'm anxious to see how they play us in an up-tempo offense.'

Kelly said the Cards' have a unique scheme.

'They run a lot of different looks on the defensive side of the ball, so they can confuse you a little bit,' Kelly said. 'But they've also got some really, really good football players on the defensive side of the ball.'

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will scheme with Kelly on how to attack the Cardinals.

'They're very good on the edges,' Shurmur said.

But that doesn't mean the Eagles won't attack and try to establish the run; they will. And McCoy should continue to get the desired volume even if the results continue to be less-than-thrilling. ...

One last note here. ... Darren Sproles, who suffered an MCL knee sprain against the Giants in Week 6, practiced on a limited basis all week and is hopeful he'll be able to play today. He's officially listed as questionable. If he doesn’t play, it's uncertain whether he would return punts.