LeSean McCoy had issues breathing at Mile High

Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) rushes with the against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 52-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is undoubtedly one of the best in the business, and his ability to make a high impact on the Eagles offense as a rusher and receiver is crucial. McCoy, however, didn’t look as excellent in Week 4 as he did through the first three weeks of the season, and it’s because the Pitt product was having difficulty breathing. Per ESPN NFL Nation’s Phil Sheridan, LeSean McCoy stated that he “couldn’t breathe” in the first half of the game, and he was seen with an oxygen mask on the sidelines for most of the second half. Playing against the Denver Broncos at Mile High is extremely difficult for some players due to the thin air, and McCoy is just the latest player to suffer from that.

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was dismissive of the Broncos purported altitude advantage coming into the game, but I’m sure he now realizes that it does have an adverse effect on certain players. Tight end Brent Celek, though, put it bluntly by stating that the Broncos have to deal with the same conditions too. That is true, but the Broncos players are used to it, and the Broncos have the luxury of working out players and potentially weeding out guys who can never adjust to the Mile High air.

LeSean McCoy finished Sunday’s blowout loss in Denver with 16 carries for 73 yards and one reception for 21 yards, so the total of 94 yards from scrimmage isn’t terrible by any means. McCoy was able to average 4.6 yards per carry,  but he had a rough outing and clearly didn’t look himself. Even so, the star RB is still averaging six yards per carry on the nose.

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