The Miami Dolphins are running more motion than any other team in the 2023 season, and their efficiency with motion is kind of hilarious.
Motion report through Week 6!
This is sorted by rate of motion at the snap. The second column is all motion (at snap and motion and set).
Data collected by @ESPNStatsInfo. pic.twitter.com/ijpaOIL2DN
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 18, 2023
lol the dolphins' epa on motion passes vs. the rest of the league (@SportsInfo_SIS) pic.twitter.com/gkGAJgosWW
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 20, 2023
On Sunday. the Philadelphia Eagles defense is next up in the barrel — they have to deal with Mike McDaniel’s explosive offense, and all the ways in which motion sets a defense on edge, and puts defenders in bad places. It’s not a great matchup in the passing game; the Eagles’ secondary is pretty banged-up to the point where we’re not completely sure who the safeties will be, and for the season, the Eagles have allowed 72 completions on 105 attempts for 673 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 101.0.
The better news for Philly’s defense is that they’ve been successful against motion runs, which the Dolphins will also spam you with — the Eagles have allowed 152 yards and two touchdowns on 57 carries. That’s 2.7 yards per carry, the lowest average allowed in the league. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens have allowed a lower opponent EPA per attempt against motion runs than the Eagles’ -0.27.
So, there’s that.
The Eagles have faced one offense with heavy motion this season, and that was the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. The Rams use the second-most motion at the snap in the league this season, and Philly was able to keep the run game in check. Against Matthew Stafford and his receivers out of motion, the Eagles allowed 11 completions in 18 attempts for 90 yards… and two touchdowns.
This 17-yard completion to Puca Nacua with 13:26 left in the third quarter set up similarly to how the Dolphins attack you in the passing game. Receiver Tutu Atwell ran the crossing motion to get a full head of steam upfield at the snap, and Nacua and Cooper Kupp ran deep crossers to stretch the defense. It was a great design, with a bonus somersault from Kupp on his route.
Rams get the Eagles on motion with deep crossers, with bonus Cooper Kupp somersault. Now, the Eagles prepare for the descent into hell against the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/us493jEj9r
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 20, 2023
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into how the Eagles can at least limit the damage to their defense against this nearly impossible challenge.
You can watch this week’s full “Xs and Os” video, featuring all of Week 7’s biggest matchups, right here:
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