The X-factor in Super Bowl 52 could be more accurately described as the A-B-C factor — as in Ajayi, Blount and Clement.
The Eagles running back trio of Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and rookie Corey Clement will have to be productive Sunday for Philly to upset the Patriots.
Blount led the Eagles with 766 rushing yards and scored twice during the regular season. Ajayi had 408 rushing yards and a score in seven games after his midseason trade from the Dolphins. Clement had 321 rushing yards during the regular season with a team-high four rushing touchdowns.
The trio has kept it up in the playoffs. Ajayi has 127 rushing yards in two games. Blount has just 40 yards but both of Philadelphia’s rushing yards. Clement has run for 25 yards this postseason, but he and Ajayi both have six receptions.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows third downs will be "a huge key to the game." He praised the Eagles backs during Monday’s media night and said Philadelphia’s diverse offense makes the Eagles difficult to defend.
Ajayi, despite a sore ankle, is expected to get the bulk of the carries Sunday, but Blount will be the short-yardage back.
"They both run hard, man," Patriots safety Patrick Chung said of Blount and Ajayi. "LeGarrette jumps over people. Jay — he runs hard. He stiff-arms people, breaks tackles. They're both very elusive and big backs so they can do a lot of things."
Then there’s Clement, the undrafted rookie from Wisconsin who has become a dangerous third-down back. Four of his nine postseason touches have been on third down. Six of his nine touches have resulted in first downs.
Clement had just 10 receptions this season, but they went for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Having seen little-used Jaguars running back Corey Grant torched the Patriots in the first half of the AFC championship, Eagles coach Doug Pederson will likely try to get Clement the ball in space against the Patriots linebackers.
Clement could wind up being a Super Bowl hero just as former Badgers running back James White was for the Patriots last year, when he caught a career-high 14 passes for 110 yards and the winning touchdown to beat the Falcons.