The Miami Dolphins have a difficult task on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football.
This is a measuring stick game for the 5-1 Dolphins who are searching for their first victory against a winning team. What better way to make a statement than a victory over the defending NFC champions?
Here are three keys that could lead to a decisive victory for the aqua and orange.
Linebackers must bring their A game
The Eagles will certainly try to keep the ball away from the Dolphins’ offense by controlling the time of possession and sustaining long drives. Philadelphia has won time of possession in five out of their first six games.
This will be a chance for Vic Fangio’s defense to show its strength.
Miami linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel, Bradley Chubb, David Long Jr. and Jerome Baker will have to bring a disciplined effort every play against this complex Eagles offense.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has proven to be a threat in both the pass and run game. Hurts had a tough game against the Jets last week where he threw three interceptions.
He’ll likely be looking to have a cleaner game which could lead to more rushing attempts from the star quarterback, who has five rushing touchdowns on the year which leads the Eagles. He’s a consistent threat on short yardage plays.
Eagles running back De’Andre Swift is another player the Dolphins’ defense will have to account for on every play. Swift has had a strong start in his first season in an Eagles jersey. His 452 rushing yards ranks in the top 10 in the NFL while maintaining an efficient 5.3 yards per carry.
Swift’s early season success has forced the Eagles to break their tendency of splitting carries evenly amongst multiple running backs. He’s a dynamic offensive talent who gets involved in both the run and pass game.
This will be a game where the Dolphins linebackers will need to have a major impact in order to stop the Philadelphia running game from taking over.
Tua Tagovailoa must spread the ball around
While oftentimes the run is used to set up the pass, this game could be an example of the opposite. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will have to earn his MVP status on primetime by spreading the ball around and keeping the Eagles’ defense guessing.
The Dolphins are without star rookie running back De’Von Achane for the second week in a row. While Raheem Mostert has proven himself capable of shouldering the load, the Eagles’ defense will certainly make it tougher on Miami’s running game than Carolina did in Week 6.
Tagovailoa has been able to rely heavily on Tyreek Hill when dropping back to pass in the first six weeks. However, the Dolphins haven’t had a difficult schedule to this point which has allowed the connection between Tagovailoa and Hill to shine.
This is a game where Tagovailoa must look to involve the likes of Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios and Durham Smythe to back up the Eagles’ front seven. Tagovailoa is averaging over 300 yards passing on the season – a benchmark that might be a necessity to best the defending NFC champions.
Jaylen Waddle due for a big game
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is a player who is due for a big game as he has yet to go for over 100 yards in 2023. This is partially due to an early season concussion suffered against the Patriots in Week 2, and the explosion of his wideout counterpart Tyreek Hill. It is also due to the surprise dominance of the Miami running game.
Waddle has gone for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons at the NFL level. The greatness of Tyreek Hill might have some fans forgetting the Miami offense is designed to have two receivers capable of exploding for 100-plus yards on a weekly basis.
Tonight’s game features two offenses who can make scoring over 30 points look easy. It’s hard to believe the Dolphins will be able to emerge victorious if Waddle doesn’t at least make his presence felt, even if Tyreek Hill has another huge game.
