The Philadelphia Eagles put an exclamation point in the top game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 of the NFL. In the 31:17 home win, they impressed with a clear game plan that they played perfectly on both sides of the ball.
Dolphins @ Eagles: At a glance
- The Eagles had a clear game plan on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they focused on taking away the middle of the field and, above all, the run game from the Dolphins. Offensively, they successfully attacked a clear weak point of the opponent.
- Jalen Hurts was apparently playing with a leg injury, but didn’t let that stop him from executing a few QB sneaks to perfection and, above all, extending an impressive drive in the fourth quarter several times. AJ Brown, in turn, set a historic series.
- The distribution of penalties was strange, as the home team didn’t get a single one, while the Dolphins got a whopping ten.
Dolphins @ Eagles: The Analysis
The Eagles opened with a strong drive, but it stalled in the red zone because they just started running with the ball, which played into the Dolphins’ hands. Accordingly, the home team settled for a field goal from Jake Elliott. The guests responded a little late with a field goal as a result of a strip sack by Bradley Chubb against Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles then got into the game better offensively and completed two longer drives with rushing touchdowns from D’Andre Swift and Hurts with a tush push from the 1. Meanwhile, the Dolphins struggled because they couldn’t get going against the Eagles’ wide front. The more they focused on the quick passing game, the more effective they became.
They got even closer just before halftime when Tua Tagovailoa threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, where Hill was essentially double-covered but simply outran his opponents.
After the break the defense took over. After two punts on both sides, the Dolphins became a little more consistent, but were stopped on fourth down on the edge of the red zone because the referees missed a facemask on Jaylen Waddle. Just one play later, however, Hurts threw a pick-six to Jerome Baker on an RPO against a nickel blitz – Kader Kohou made a decisive deflect of the ball as a blitzer. The equalizer before the end of the third quarter.
However, the Eagles fought back tremendously, which was helped by the fact that safety Jevon Holland and linebacker David Long collided with their helmets during a pass play and both then had to go out. This caused big problems in the middle of the Dolphins defense, which Hurts and Co. took advantage of. Hurts eventually found AJ Brown for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make Philly 24-17.
The Dolphins were then ready to respond. But on third-and-long at the Eagles’ 24, Tagovailoa threw a deep ball that ultimately went toward Raheem Mostert, who had started in the slot. Darius Slay smelled the roast, jumped in front of the running back and grabbed the interception just before the end zone. And that turned out to be crucial, as the Eagles then put the game out of reach with an impressive drive.
Hurts converted two short fourth downs with a tush push in his own half and then brought the team into the red zone with a 42-yard shot to Brown, who made a remarkable catch. Kenneth Gainwell finally completed it with a three-yard touchdown run after almost seven minutes. The Dolphins no longer had an answer and so the Eagles extended their lead in the NFC (East).
Miami Dolphins (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)
Result: 17:31 (3:3, 7:14, 7:7, 0:7) BOXSCORE
Dolphins @ Eagles: Key stats
- Hurts’ second-quarter rushing touchdown was the 32nd of his NFL career. He tied Randall Cunningham’s Eagles franchise record for most by a quarterback.
- Hill’s touchdown before halftime was his sixth in his team’s first seven games of the season. The last time Paul Warfield achieved this was in 1971 for the Dolphins. It was also Hill’s fifth touchdown on a deep target (20+ air yards) according to Next Gen Stats. Most in the NFL.
- AJ Brown had ten receptions for 137 yards (TD) and has now achieved at least 125 receiving yards for the fifth time in a row. In doing so, he equaled Calvin Johnson’s record series since 1970.
- What was noticeable was that the Dolphins received ten penalties for 70 yards. The Eagles, on the other hand, did not have a single accepted penalty in the game, which seemed at least strange, especially given the clear facemask on Waddle.
The star of the game: Jalen Hurts (quarterback, Eagles)
Hurts was unlucky with his two turnovers in the game, but didn’t let that or an apparent leg injury deter him. In the end, he was directly involved in three total touchdowns and once again couldn’t be stopped by sneaks, with which he successfully managed four 4th downs. That was the difference, not least on the decisive drive in the fourth quarter.
The flop of the game: Eli Apple (Cornerback, Dolphins)
The Eagles identified a clear weak spot in the Dolphins’ defense – cornerback Eli Apple. Hurts threw eleven times in his direction. That turned into eight receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Ramsey can’t come back fast enough from Miami’s perspective.
Analysis: Dolphins @ Eagles – that stood out tactically
- Tagovailoa avoided the middle of the field and distributed the ball almost exclusively to the side in the quick passing game, at all passing depths. To save time, the Dolphins didn’t even use play action in one quarter of Tua’s dropbacks.
- The Eagles focused on the middle of the field, using a six-man front especially early in the game and more often in neutral situations with a linebacker and a defensive back between the defensive tackles who were there to attack the A gaps. That essentially took the run away from the Dolphins. Accordingly, the edge defenders were positioned in a wide-9 alignment, which made it easier for them to get around the corner against the offensive tackles.
- Both only used blitzes sporadically and relied on the defensive lines to create pressure. Behind them, 2-high looks were shown and it was mainly about zone coverage. Man coverage was only used occasionally on late downs by the Eagles.
- The Eagles tried to keep Hill in check with bracket coverage (cornerback in front, safety behind), but it hardly worked. Especially during his touchdown before halftime, he simply ran away from both of them.