Ajayi's Trip To Dallas Will Be A Family Affair

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eagles fans will have to forgive a majority of Jay Ajayi's family.

The Eagles running back spent much of his younger years in Texas after moving from the United Kingdom.  During his days at Frisco Liberty High School, Ajayi and his family had access to plenty of Cowboys games on television.  This Sunday, Ajayi will take the field against the Cowboys for the first time as an Eagle.

"This is a special one for me," said Ajayi.  "I won't lie.  Growing up in Texas in my household, the Cowboys were on TV quite a bit."

The result was a family full of Cowboys fans with the exception of one member of the household who was a big fan of a well-known Eagles quarterback.

Eagles TE Zach Ertz Fills In For Philly High School Football Coach

"My mom is actually an Eagles fan," Ajayi said.  "She was super psyched when I got here.  It was like a split household.  My daddy was on the Cowboys side and my mom loved Donovan McNabb.  He was her favorite player.  She always was rooting for the Eagles."

It would be a safe bet to assume that all of Ajayi's family members will be rooting for the Eagles on Sunday night.  It will Ajayi's second game as an Eagle after making an impressive debut against Denver.  Ajayi rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos and the running back believes his playing time against Denver helped speed up his acclimation to the Eagles playbook.

"It was really good of them to feel comfortable enough to have me out there that week," said Ajayi.  "I really didn't want to go into the bye week without having played in a game.  I was going to be itching, so I'm glad it all worked out."

It appears Ajayi is fitting in quite well with his new team both on and off the field.  He has made it quite clear he is less worried about his number of carries than helping the Eagles win.  With seven games left in the regular season, Ajayi is excited to be part of a backfield which has a host of key contributors.

"It's about the consistency." Ajayi said.  "It's about going out with that same mentality of dominating and being physical and leaving our mark on the game every time.  We're trying to be the best group out there.  That's what we pride ourselves on, that's what I pride myself on and that's our mentality every week."

And Ajayi will have the comfort of knowing his family has traded in their Cowboy blue for Eagle green.

"It's an Eagles household all the way," said Ajayi.  "It's exciting to be on my mom's team and she's excited."