Writer: Kevin Durso
Eagles blow 13 point lead, fall to Dolphins
I have been writing for Sports Talk Philly since 2011. Currently editor and lead writer of Philadelphia Flyers coverage. Co-host of the YWT Podcast. I also am Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN-FM in South Jersey. I graduated from Cabrini University in 2014.
All posts by Kevin DursoPublished15 Nov 2015
If you had Week 10 in your Sam Bradford injury pool, you win. Bradford suffered an injury in the third quarter that was later determined to be a concussion, putting the game in the hands of Mark Sanchez.
And it looked like Sanchez was going to somehow salvage the game. Then the turnover bit him again.
An interception in the endzone with less than four minutes to play sealed the Eagles fate, dropping them to 4-5 on the season with a 20-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Eagles | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
The Dolphins struck first on a 42-yard field goal by Andrew Franks, but the first quarter was all Eagles.
It took only four plays for the Eagles to find the endzone, capped by a two-yard touchdown pass from Bradford to Josh Huff.
The Dolphins muffed the kickoff and attempted to return it but only got to their own one yard line. A fumble sack by Walter Thurmond on the next play sent the ball flying out of the back of the endzone for a safety.
The Eagles scored on the next drive as well, taking the ball into the endzone on a one-yard run by Ryan Mathews.
The Dolphins added another field goal from 22 yards to cut the lead to 10 midway through the second quarter.
Just over two minutes later, following a blocked punt, Ryan Tannehill found Lamar Miller for a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to three.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Dolphins took the lead on a strange play. A pass by Tannehill from four yards out was tipped by Connor Barwin. The deflection went into the air and was caught by Jarvis Landry for the go-ahead score.
The third quarter did produce two costly injuries to the Eagles. Bradford left the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury and was later diagnosed as a concussion. Mathews also suffered a concussion.
That forced the comeback trail to go through Sanchez.
The Eagles cut the lead to one with a 37-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis.
The defense locked in from there, giving the Eagles a chance to come back. But a costly interception by Sanchez in the redzone thwarted a scoring chance for the Eagles, keeping Miami's lead at one.
Getting one final chance, Sanchez couldn't get things done. Two drops, an incomplete pass and a completion to Jordan Matthews well short of the first down to end the game.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
- Sam Bradford: 19/25, 236 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 118.1 RTG
- Mark Sanchez: 11/17, 135 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 63.0 RTG
Dolphins
- Ryan Tannehill: 21/36, 217 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 94.3 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
- Brent Celek: 4 rec, 134 yards
- Zach Ertz: 7 rec, 68 yards
- DeMarco Murray: 6 rec, 58 yards
Dolphins
- Rishard Matthews: 5 rec, 93 yards
- Jarvis Landry: 7 rec, 52 yards, TD
- Lamar Miller: 6 rec, 50 yards, TD
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
- DeMarco Murray: 22 car, 61 yards
- Ryan Mathews: 8 car, 18 yards, TD
- Mark Sanchez: 2 car, 4 yards
Dolphins
- Jay Ajayi: 6 car, 48 yards
- Lamar Miller: 16 car, 43 yards
- Jarvis Landry: 1 car, 6 yards
Breakdown:
First Downs: Eagles – 29, Dolphins – 15
3rd Down Efficiency: Eagles – 7-for-18, Dolphins – 5-for-15
4th Down Efficiency: Eagles – 1-for-2, Dolphins – 0-for-0
Total Plays: Eagles – 83, Dolphins – 99
Total Yards: Eagles – 436 yards, Dolphins – 289 yards
Passing Yards: Eagles – 392 yards, Dolphins – 217 yards
Rushing Yards: Eagles – 83 yards, Dolphins – 99 yards
Redzone: Eagles – 2-for-5, Dolphins – 2-for-4
Penalties: Eagles – 7 penalties, 54 yards; Dolphins – 8 penalties, 84 yards
Turnovers: Eagles – 1, Dolphins – 0
Time Of Possession: Eagles – 31:07, Dolphins – 28:53
What's Next:
- Sunday, November 22, 2015: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 p.m.
- AT&T Stadium; TV: FOX; Radio: 94 WIP
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
