PHILADELPHIA — There's one thing standing between the Philadelphia Eagles and 11 wins this season — Corey Dillon.

        The Bengals running back has 1,396 rushing yards and figures to be a handful for the Eagles defense Sunday at Veterans Stadium.

        “I think Corey's tremendous and I would say he is a lot like (Eagles running back) Duce Staley, very much like Duce Staley in his running style,” said Eagles coach Andy Reid. “He is not what you would say one of the speed runners at that position. He has tremendous vision, balance. He has to be the best cutback runner in the league right now. And he can catch the football. He's an all-around player.”

        The Eagles have had their problems stopping the run. They allow 115.2 yards per game, 19th in the NFL, and have allowed four backs to rush for more than 100 yards in a game.

        But the Eagles also know they've improved in that area, primarily because middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has blossomed into a Pro Bowl player.

        “We just have to go out there and do the same thing we did against (Tennessee Titans running back) Eddie George,” Trotter said. “We have to play hard-nosed football, continue to pound on him. Big backs like that have a tendency to get stronger as the game goes on so we'll have to come out in the second half and continue to pound on him. Their go-to guy is Corey Dillon. You can shut him down. You just have to pound on him to take him out of the game.”

        After a bye week last Sunday, the Eagles defense is fresh and ready for Dillon, who set an NFL record with 278 yards rushing against Denver on Oct. 22. Dillon also ran for 216 yards against Arizona on Dec. 3.

        “We're expecting to see a lot of him and that's the approach the Bengals should take,” cornerback Troy Vincent said. “He's one of the best in the league. But to be the best you have to beat the best. We'll be ready for him.”

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