By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Miami Dolphins in a contest that many think could be a super bowl preview. The Eagles were clearly angry from last week’s stunning loss to the New York Jets, and they made the Dolphins feel them from the opening kickoff. They were able to out tough the Dolphins as they dominated them on all sides of the ball in this game. The Eagles forced the Dolphins into a late game turnover that they turned into points and that was the difference as Philly beat Miami 31-to-17.

The Eagles got off to a fast start on the offensive side and they were able to use the screen game to take advantage of Miami’s aggressive defensive scheme. That allowed them to get a lot of yards in a short period time and that drive was capped off by a Dallas Goedert touchdown reception. Earlier in this game the offense struggled, but whatever adjustments Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson made during half-time paid off. Jalen Hurts got the ball out of his hands a lot faster and was able to diagnose what the Dolphins were doing defensively, and he carved them up like it was a family dinner plate filled with soul food on a Sunday night. Hurts was not without faults in this game as he turned the ball over twice, but he was able to calm down and lead the Eagles on a scoring drive that was capped off by an AJ Brown touchdown reception to retake the lead and re-establish dominance in this game. When it mattered most the Eagles were able to outexecute the Dolphins defense, something they could not do last week against the Jets.  If Philly can re-discover their offensive efficiency, they will find themselves in contention for another super bowl appearance. Right now, they are doing well with their B-game but when it’s working like it was tonight not many teams can keep up with the Eagles. Especially when they are dominating the time of possession battle like they were tonight and using a balanced offense to do whatever they want it’s hard to beat.

Credit to the Eagles defense they held the vaunted Dolphins offense to 17-points and kept them off the field. They made Tua Tagovailoa feel them as they sacked him four times and put plenty of pressure on him as well. Additionally, they were able to ground Miami’s rushing attack which did not register a touchdown for them in this game. Keeping Raheem Mostert out of the end zone is not an easy task but Sean Desai and the Eagles defense did the job tonight. The return of Jalen Carter and Darius Slay helped a defense that struggled last week be dominant this week. Carter drew a lot of defensive attention which allowed Hassan Reddick and Josh Sweat to blow up Miami’s ground attack and make Tagovailoa uncomfortable throughout this contest. The pressure led to Tua making an errant throw that was picked off by Slay to help Philly seal the deal tonight. If the Eagles can continue to get healthier and continue to dominate, they can be one of the best defenses in the NFL.

The Eagles will now prepare to face the Washington Commanders next Sunday Afternoon. They will need to use the screen game and quick passing scheme to keep Washington’s aggressive defensive front on their heels as well. Additionally, the defense will need to make Sam Howell feel them like Tua did tonight.  Howell is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL and the Commanders have a banged up offensive line so there should be plenty of opportunities for the Eagles defensive line to put him on the ground. If they can do these things, they will be in prime position to get their seventh victory of the season.