The Miami Dolphins are going to get ripped on tv for just a few days. On Sunday, they confronted a Tremendous Bowl contender for the second time this season, and had been once more defeated by a double-digit margin — the Philadelphia Eagles received 31-17. Final season, Miami’s five-game profitable streak was criticized as a result of every victory was towards a staff that will go on to overlook the playoffs, particularly after they adopted that run up with 5 consecutive losses.
This season, the Dolphins misplaced in Week 4 on the highway towards the Buffalo Bills, 48-20. They suffered their second defeat Sunday, 31-17, in Philadelphia. Each losses had been the results of comparable shortcomings— penalties, turnovers and a lower than All-Professional efficiency on protection. Whereas Sunday’s closing outcome can result in the idea of a pattern with the Dolphins towards high competitors, their efficiency towards the Eagles confirmed they’re a staff that ought to nonetheless be checked out as a championship caliber unit.
The Dolphins’ defensive backfield has been with out Jalen Ramsey all season, and in Week 7, they had been additionally down Xavien Howard. Sans each beginning cornerbacks, the Dolphins needed to battle DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. On offense, they had been with out their beginning left sort out, heart, their left guard went down with harm in the course of the first half and Jaylen Waddle fought via a again harm the entire recreation.
On the Eagles’ aspect, cornerback Darius Slay returned to the lineup after lacking their Week 6 loss to the New York Jets. Throughout that defeat, they misplaced two-time All-Professional offensive sort out Lane Johnson to an ankle harm, however he was able to play towards the Dolphins.
Though the Dolphins had been outmanned, they remained aggressive for a lot of the recreation. A nook blitz tin the third quarter resulted in a pick-six that tied the rating at 17. That adopted a tough Tyreek Hill drop the place he would have scored a landing. As a substitute, the Dolphins turned the ball over on downs.
At that time the Dolphins had been up on the Eagles within the turnover column, 2-0. Nevertheless, the Eagles scored on the subsequent drive following the pick-six, after which Tua Tagovailoa threw a foul interception within the fourth quarter deep in Eagles’ territory. The Eagles then completed off the Dolphins with a body-crushing, soul-sapping, stamina-stomping, 83-yard drive to go up by two scores.
That drive was the Eagles’ repetitively sending abdomen-crunching physique pictures into the guts of the Dolphins. It was a reminder to the NFL that the loss to the Jets was a bump within the highway. A defeat like that’s able to tripping up any good staff. Any staff that needs to beat the Eagles this season, had higher be able to match physicality with arguably the strongest offensive and defensive traces within the league.
Even in defeat, although, the Dolphins largely met that problem. Though Haason Reddick clobbered their often reliable operating recreation within the first half, the sport was nonetheless very a lot in attain with a 17-10 rating on the break. Within the second half, the Dolphins lastly discovered constant success operating the ball on the drive by which Hill dropped the landing. A drive that most likely ought to have been prolonged previous the fourth-down failure, as a result of Cedrick Wilson’s facemask was yanked by a defender however a penalty was not referred to as.
The Dolphins had their moments on Sunday, however 10 penalties on the highway to Eagles’ zero, together with the accidents, compelled them to struggle from behind. But, for a lot of the evening, the Dolphins stayed the course. Even with their offense down 4 starters and De’Von Achane, they nonetheless generated massive performs.
Higher well being wouldn’t have assured a highway victory towards the Eagles, however it might have allowed the Dolphins to dodge a blow or two. Because the second half of the NFL season quick approaches, Ramsey has been activated from injured reserve, and the Dolphins’ different injured key contributors are additionally anticipated to return to motion whereas the calendar nonetheless reads 2023.
The Dolphins are additionally lucky that their most troublesome upcoming opponents usually are not scheduled in consecutive weeks. They play the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany the primary week of November, a recreation that’s sandwiched between a house matchup towards the New England Patriots and a bye week. Once they return to motion, their hardest stretch of the season towards the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Payments doesn’t start till Christmas Eve — they usually play the Cowboys and Payments at dwelling.
Sunday’s loss to the Eagles will not be the signal of future Dolphins’ futility. It as a substitute revealed a staff hungry for postseason glory that’s merely ready for reinforcements.Â
