Wendell Smallwood was an afterthought in the Philadelphia Eagles offense a month ago.

Smallwood couldn't get on the practice field during the preseason in large part to lingering injuries that stunted his development. Once Smallwood healed from a quad injury that kept him out of the team's first two preseason games, he suffered a concussion during the team's third preseason game after showing flashes of why the Eagles drafted him in the fifth round of this year's draft.

Behind the eight-ball since the first week of training camp, there was some chatter regarding Smallwood's spot on the 53-man roster. Head coach Doug Pederson had the virtue to be patient with Smallwood as he healed from his injuries.

That patience paid off in the Eagles 34-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday.

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Smallwood was called upon for relief duty as No. 1 running back Ryan Mathews was sidelined with a "stiffened" left ankle. All the rookie did was lead the Eagles with 17 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown, providing a fifth gear for the Eagles rushing attack with his quickness in the hole and second-level burst.

On the Eagles third touchdown drive, Smallwood had runs of 14 and 12 yards before capping the seven-play, 67-yard drive with his first career touchdown. That performance was a long time coming.

"It just felt great, especially in a big game, as much as this game meant to us and everything that went into this week preparing for it," Smallwood said. "To get in the end zone and get the guys going, it felt like a dream come true out there."

The 4.7 yards per carry average will earn Smallwood more playing time, but his instinct with the football gives Pederson more of a reason to play him. On a 3rd-and-7 with 3:05 left in the fourth quarter, Smallwood rushed to the outside and got the first down, but slid to stay in bounds once he passed the chains.

Great situational awareness from rookie Wendell Smallwood in 4th quarter. Gets 1st down, slides in bounds to keep clock running. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/ym3dUxXNF3 — Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroCSN) September 26, 2016

That play kept the clock running as the Eagles extended the drive for another 1:41 before punting back to Pittsburgh with 36 seconds left.

"To get first downs, to be smart about the end of the game, to get the first down and stay in bounds as a rookie is tremendous," Pederson said. "It’s a great step forward with his development, but I’m very happy with what he did."

Smallwood is still the No. 4 running back in the Eagles running back-by-committee approach, but that may change as the season goes on. He is putting himself into consideration to get the bulk of the Eagles carries.

"He’s the same type of runner that we felt he was coming out of college and what we saw in preseason," Pederson said. "He’s a big, powerful guy. Downhill guy. One-cut runner. He did a great job for us."

"It continued to show the confidence they have in me and how much they believe in me," Smallwood said. "They probably believe in me more than I believe in myself, so it just boosts my confidence and makes me want to go harder for them."