Philadelphia Eagles
The Best Of Darren Sproles
In his first year as an Eagle, sprightly running back Darren Sproles revolutionized the Eagles' punt return game and provided a big spark each week on offense ...
Sproles carried his trademark 43 into the City of Brotherly Love and instantly endeared himself to the Philly faithful with one heck of a 2014 season.
With the Eagles trailing 17-0 at halftime of Week 1, Sproles exploded for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first minutes of the second half.
Sproles' first touchdown of the year -- the first by an Eagle -- spurred a 34-point second-half explosion and a come-from-behind win for the Birds.
Sproles' first appearance with the Birds in primetime yielded an eye-popping 152 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown in a Monday Night win over the Colts.
In his first three games of the year, Sproles proved his versatility: he cobbled together 117 rushing yards, 196 receiving yards, and 114 punt return yards.
At San Francisco in Week 4, Sproles torched the 49ers for an 82-yard punt return, his first of the season.
The return was Sproles' longest punt return touchdown of his career, and his fourth since 2007.
Sproles carried the ball seven times for 51 yards against the Rams in Week 5Â for an impressive 7.3 yards-per-carry average in the win.
On Black Sunday in Week 6, Sproles contributed a 43-yard punt return and 39 rush yards, including this rushing touchdown, as the Eagles shut out the Giants.
After missing Week 8 with an injury, Sproles returned with 90 more multi-purpose yards in the Birds' Week 9 win at Houston.
Sproles broke out his monster punt return game again in Week 10, taking his second return to the house against the Panthers.
Sproles' teammates celebrate his second punt return touchdown of the year with him. It marked the first time Sproles returned two punts for touchdowns in the same season.
Sproles would later tack on an eight-yard TD run, and he's pictured here saluting the Eagles fans after the touchdown that capped quite a night for the back.
Sproles ran for yet another touchdown in Week 12 against the Titans, his fifth on the year. Before 2014, Sproles had never run for more than three TDs in a single season.
Sproles would go on to earn AP second-team votes and a Pro Bowl spot for the first time in his career.
In Week 15, Sproles scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the year on a three-yard scamper against Dallas.
In Week 16, Sproles caught six passes for 43 yards against Washington.
Sproles finished his 10th year in the league with career highs in rushing touchdowns (6), punt return yards (506), punt return average (13.0), and punt return touchdowns (2).
