Previewing Eagles-Dolphins Week 10 Matchup
By Regina Ham
There is no doubt that the Philadelphia Eagles are hungry to win the NFC East. They’re not the only ones in the hunt. The New York Giants are currently sitting in first place. The Dallas Cowboys have seemed to implode on themselves and the Washington Redskins have sort of existed in the middle. The Eagles themselves are coming off a Week 9 overtime victory over the Cowboys and that makes four out of their six divisional games complete.
The next six games for the team are non-divisional, with the Eagles finishing the season meeting with the Redskins and Giants. Week 10 sees the team match-up against the Miami Dolphins, a team they haven’t played since 2007. The Dolphins are 3-5 and are a long shot for making the playoffs. A win for the Eagles this weekend would give them a boost, especially since the Giants are taking on a tough New England Patriots. It’ll be an interesting stretch for the Eagles as they continue on their path to post-season success.
More from Eagles News
- Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
- How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
- Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
- Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award
- Bold predictions for the Philadelphia Eagles offense in 2023
Injury Report
There is good news when it comes to injuries for the Eagles amid quite a few setbacks. Nelson Agholor will be hopefully returning as a starter to the offensive line. He’ll bring more strength to a struggling passing game. Jordan Hicks, the breakout rookie for the defense, tore his left pectoral muscle last week against the Cowboys and as a result, is out for the rest of the season on injured reserve. The inside linebacker situation has been revolving at best, with Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso both healthy for the Dallas game. DeMeco Ryans has been active for most of the season but combined with Alonso and Kendricks, they’ve been out for a majority of the season. Losing Hicks is a blow considering how many big plays he was responsible for this season but the depth at the position might help to make up for his absence. Malcolm Jenkins is also questionable after suffering a concussion in the Dallas game. Along with Hicks, Jenkins has 54 tackles on the season. Not having their two biggest tacklers would put the Eagles defense at a disadvantage.
Matchup to Watch
Eagles Running Backs vs. Dolphins Defense
There are going to be a lot of eyes on the Eagles run game against the Dolphins on Sunday. While it’s hasn’t quite been the ‘three-headed monster’ that many had anticipated, they have put up a fight that makes them a legitimate threat. Since the beginning of the season, the Eagles running game has become more dangerous for opposing defenses. DeMarco Murray is not producing the number that he put up in Dallas last season but has performed better recently. He has 343 yards in 77 attempts and three touchdowns in the last four games he played. Yet it has been Ryan Mathews that has been the star of the Eagles running game. With an average of 6.1 yards per carry, Mathews is going to be a dangerous threat for the Dolphins defense.
The Dolphins defense is terrible against the run game, which is a huge benefit for the Eagles. They rank 31st in the NFL when it comes to run defense, allowing 141.6 yards per game. That’s a dismal number and it showed in the Dolphins game against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills ran all over the Dolphins defense, running the ball 36 times for 266 yards. Adding insult to injury were the three touchdowns and had two players who ran for over 100-yards. The Eagles can take the same approach and use their run game to take pressure off of Sam Bradford. If They can use their running backs and launch a multi-angle attack, they’ll be able to make easy work of the struggling Dolphins defense.
Prediction: Eagles 35- Dolphins 17
This should be an easy game for the Eagles to win. Keyword: should. The Dolphins defense isn’t able to stop the Eagles run game. The Eagles should make light work of the Dolphins defense and offense, with x-factor Brandon Graham being someone that the Dolphins should worry about. Philadelphia is expected to win and a wine would be needed to potentially take top spot in the NFC East. The Giants are going to have a tough time ahead of them with the Patriots. The key for the Eagles to win is to keep a multi-angled attack on the Dolphins defense. Sam Bradford should be able to have a solid performance again and it would benefit him to do so. He hasn’t proven that he’s worth keeping around in the long-term but a good second half of the season could change that. The Eagle should win this game as long as they don’t suffer a meteoric collapse.