The Philadelphia Eagles took their first loss of the season last week at home against the New York Jets. It was a sloppy game that the Eagles certainly regretted watching back on film. However, there’s not too much time to dwell on the loss, as the Eagles will have another home game on Sunday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins and Eagles both stand at 5-1 with the former coming off another explosive win against the Carolina Panthers. This matchup is between two of the best teams in the NFL and fans should expect a laser light show of offense. With both defenses struggling somewhat to stop the opposing passing game, this game really might be a Big 12 type of shootout.
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Week 7 Eagles vs Dolphins Picks
Dolphins Thrive in Space
The Dolphins currently are the number one ranked team in total offense, passing offense, rushing offense, and total scoring. It’s been clear through the season that they are an offensive juggernaut that is going to be able to generate big plays against anyone. They’re an extremely fast team, but where they thrive is with Head Coach Mike McDaniel and his scheme that allows them to get these fast players into space often. They’re not only a fast team that can beat people deep, but they regularly create open looks in the form of short and medium passes, especially through the middle.
This can be a big problem for the Eagles defense, as the Dolphins short and medium passing game may effectively take the Eagles pass rush out of the equation. Additionally, the Eagles in recent weeks have been running a lot of man coverage, putting James Bradberry and Darius Slay on an island by themselves. That would be a dangerous game to play against speedsters like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins. What’s more, the Eagles have been frequently, putting Reed Blankenship or a linebacker in man coverage in the slot. That won’t fly against the Dolphins and their passing attack, it’s just simply too hard to ask Blankenship to cover Waddle or Hill in the slot. The Eagles need to prepare to switch up coverage and challenge Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to make difficult throws outside the numbers.
Eagles Even with a Hiccup, Still Rank Second in Offense
With the explosiveness and prowess of the Dolphins offense, the Eagles will need to start to finally put some stuff together on offense this week to keep pace. The Eagles passing game has definitely struggled compared to last year so far this season. However, they still do a ton of good things in that area, especially with how they are getting A.J. Brown going in the last few weeks. There’s just been too many small mistakes at times at fairly crucial times. Like drops from the receivers, or bad decisions from Hurts, but have faith that the Eagles can clean that up, especially against a top-tier opponent like the Dolphins. Hurts just cannot be too eager to make plays down the field and take safer options and safer throws more frequently.
Altogether, the Eagles passing game hasn’t been great, but the talent is there and maybe a loss last week will force them into a different gear. But the good news is, the Dolphins defense has been disappointing throughout this year, ranking in the bottom half of passing yards allowed in the league. They will give up yards on that side of the ball and more importantly, they’re susceptible to other teams driving down the field through medium passes. Also, they have not been stellar against the run so far this year, but not bad either. If the Eagles offense limits mistakes and just takes the easy throws the Dolphins give them, the run game should succeed as well.
Eagles vs Dolphins Picks: Bottom Line
Dolphins win 34-31
It would be surprising if this game is not a close one, maybe even coming down to whoever gets the ball last. The Eagles offense should bounce back in the run game and the pass game, especially with the good news that Lane Johnson is expected to play Sunday night. If the Eagles can run the ball and control the clock effectively, it could be their path to a win along with a turnover or two created by their defense.
While the Eagles defensive line may be mostly negated in this game, it is imperative that they stop the Dolphins rushing attack, especially in the red zone, which could be a big difference-maker in forcing field goals instead of touchdowns. However, the Dolphins offense might just be too much, and a lack of creativity from the defensive side of the Eagles may not be enough to stop the Dolphins offense.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
