In a Week 10 match-up against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles will look to surpass the .500 mark for the first time this season.
If the Eagles win, chances are very good they'll sit atop the NFC East division by day's end. At 5-4 overall, the New York Giants currently lead the division. Unfortunately for them, they play against the undefeated New England Patriots this week. Despite the outcome of the Giants game, the Eagles need to come away with a win this week to ramp up the momentum begun with last week's thrilling overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys.
After a 1-3 start to the regular season, the Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin. With interim head coach Dan Campbell running the show in Miami, the amped up Dolphins have a 2-2 record. Miami was victorious in both of Campbell's first two games, beating their opponents by a combined score of 82-36. However, in the last two games, the Dolphins were blown out by the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. At 3-5, Miami's chances of winning the AFC East are slim, but they still have hopes of landing a Wild Card spot.
Philadelphia's offensive attack is starting to click right when they need it the most. In two of the first four games this season, the Eagles offense couldn't manage to rack up more than 250 yards of total offense. In contrast to this sluggish start, the Eagles have put up more than 400 yards of total offense in three of their last four games.
One of the biggest factors contributing to this turn around has been a vastly improved rushing attack. The three-headed monster of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are starting to wear down opposing defenses. The Eagles are averaging 173.3 rushing yards per game since Week 5, which has been better than all but one team in the NFL during the same period of time.
With 19 more yards on 39 less carries, Mathews had an overall better first half of the season than Murray, but last year's NFL rushing champion has been coming on strong as he begins to finally look comfortable in the Eagles offensive scheme. Over the last four games, Murray is averaging just a hair under 86 rushing yards per game while becoming more entrenched in the receiving game as well.
As the Eagles rush offense has been cranking it up, the Dolphins rush defense has been heading in the opposite direction. The Dolphins are currently about as bad it gets in stopping the run, ranking 31st in the NFL in this category. Miami allows over 140 rushing yards per game, and they are coming off of one of their worst performances of the year. Bills backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams both ran for over 100 yards against the fish last week.
The Eagles have also been making progress in their air attack. Quarterback Sam Bradford has been looking more and more comfortable as the signal-caller of the Eagles offense. He's maneuvering in the pocket with noticeably more fluidity and his release has become more authoritative. Bradford arguably had his best overall performance of the season last game, completing just under 70 percent of his passes with zero turnovers against Dallas in Week 9.
The Dolphins made a huge splash in the offseason when they signed former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nadamukong Suh. Suh became the highest paid defensive player in NFL history after signing a six-year deal worth $114 million. Saying that he's underplaying his contact would be an understatement as he has a total three sacks on the season thus far. Cameron Wake, the team's emotional leader, led the team with seven sacks, but he is out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Eagles starting left tackle Jason Peters (back/quad) is questionable to play. Peters left Week 7's game against the Carolina Panthers in the first quarter with back spasms. He didn't play at all last week. Lane Johnson is prepared to make his second career start at left tackle if Peters can't play, and that would mean Dennis Kelly would start again at right tackle.
Opposing quarterbacks have typically played well against the Dolphins secondary this season. Miami allows an average quarterback rating of 97.1., and they only have six interceptions. Jordan Matthews' last catch was a 41-yard touchdown in overtime against the Cowboys. Matthews will likely be matched up with Miami three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes.
Defensively, the Eagles have struggled stopping the run of late. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart and Cowboys running back Darren McFadden both ran for over 100 yards against the Eagles in previous weeks. Rookie linebacker Jordan Hicks is out for the rest of the year after tearing a pectoral muscle last week. DeMeco Ryans (hamstring) looks to play for the first time since Week 6, bringing a much needed spark to the Eagles defense.
Miami runs the ball about 21 times per game, which ranks 31st in the NFL. However, they are pretty successful when they do decide to pound the rock. The Dolphins average 4.9 yards per carry this season, which is ranked No. 2 in pro football. Running back Lamar Miller has 478 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season. Expect Jay Ajayi to receive some carries as well. The rookie from Boise State had 41 yards on five carries in his first game of the season last week against the Bills.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been sacked for a total of 23 times this season. Miami will already be without starting right tackle Ja'Wuan James due to a toe injury. Starting right guard Billy Turner is questionable with a knee injury. Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Connor Barwin will be looking to put Tannehill on the ground all day.
Tannehill has a number of weapons at his disposal that the Eagles secondary need to prepare for. Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews both have over 500 receiving yards on the season so far. With 95 rushing yards, Landry can also be a threat in the ground game. Although he only has one touchdown on the season, athletic tight end Jordan Cameron is also someone the Eagles need to keep in check.
The Eagles defense ranks second in the NFL in takeaways, with 20 so far on the year. They have 12 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries. Tannehill has already thrown nine interceptions on the year, plus he has five fumbles, so this can be a recipe for success as an area of attack. If the Eagles can win the turnover battle, they will likely come away with a victory.
Game Notes
- The Eagles have an all-time overall record of 6-7 against the Dolphins. Since 2003, Philadelphia is 3-0 in games against Miami.
- Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was the Eagles quarterbacks coach during the 2013 season.
- Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll was drafted by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
- The Eagles have one six consecutive games against AFC teams, including a 24-17 win against the New York Jets in Week 3.
Injury Report
Eagles
Out
- C/G Josh Andrews (concussion)
- DB Jerome Couplin (shoulder)
Questionable
- T Jason Peters (back/quad)
Probable
- WR Nelson Agholor (ankle)
- LB Kiko Alonso (knee)
- TE Trey Burton (hamstring)
- WR Riley Cooper (toe)
- S Malcolm Jenkins (concussion)
- RB Ryan Mathews (groin)
- RB DeMarco Murray (groin)
- LB DeMeco Ryans (hamstring)
Dolphins
Out
- T Ja'Wuan James (toe)
Doubtful
- LB Spencer Paysinger (neck)
Questionable
- WR DeVante Parker (foot)
- G Billy Turner
Probable
- TE Jordan Cameron (hamstring)
- LB Jelani Jenkins (ankle)
- S Jordan Kovacs (knee)
- CB Brice McCain (knee)
- LB Misi Koa (foot)
- DT Jordan Phillips (knee)
- RB Damien Williams (hand)
Where To Watch
TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)
Radio: 94 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
