Exploring the fascinating Dolphins/Eagles subplots and an emerging concern for both Sunday
As interconference matchups go, the Dolphins’ Sunday night NBC showcase in Philadelphia is as delicious as they come, filled with intriguing subplots, story lines and interpersonal connections between some of the protagonists.
That adds even more flavor to a game that is appealing on its own, with Miami and Philadelphia tied with the 49ers and Lions for the NFL’s best record at 5-1.
“This is a game that a lot of people are going to want to see, given the talent that’s on that side of the ball, the talent that’s on this side of the ball,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “We’ve got a lot of good matchups across the board.”
Or, as Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill put it, “It’s going to be fun. We need a challenge like that. They have two All-Pro corners. Their [defensive] line is real good. Looking forward to it.”
Exploring some of the story lines:
▪ Two elite receiving duos against unhealthy secondaries:
The Dolphins, already without Jalen Ramsey, enter the week hoping that Xavien Howard’s groin will allow him to be ready for Sunday. Howard left the Carolina game but said afterward that “I feel great. I feel good.”
Keep in mind that Dolphins No. 3 cornerback Eli Apple played 95 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps against Carolina and allowed four catches for 62 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
With or without Howard, the Eagles pose problems with Pro Bowl receivers A.J. Brown (a second-team 2022 All-Pro) and DeVonta Smith, who has 1,530 receiving yards in his past 23 games.
But on the flip side, Eagles All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay missed Sunday’s Jets game with a knee injury, and his status for the Dolphins game is in question, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on his Fox 7 segment.
Slay’s backup, Josh Jobe, has a poor 116 passer rating in his coverage area, per Pro Football Focus. Another backup, Bradley Roby, left the Jets game with a shoulder injury.
The Eagles still have cornerback James Bradberry (a second-team All-Pro last season), but if Slay doesn’t play, then Hill or Jaylen Waddle could torment his replacement even more than they typically torment opposing defensive backs. Bradberry’s passer rating against this season is a bloated 107.5; it was 55.9 last season.
Hill leads the league with 814 receiving yards and is on pace for 2,306, which would shatter Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 in 2012.
▪ Can the Dolphins defense thrive when it plays a really good offense?
While the Dolphins have played well against four middling offenses (New England, Denver, Giants, Carolina), they permitted 847 yards (including 337 on the ground) and 82 points combined against the two high-powered offenses they’ve faced. Buffalo and the Los Angeles Chargers converted 14 of 25 third downs in those two games.
Despite their struggles in Sunday’s 20-14 loss to the Jets, the Eagles fall in the high-powered category; they’re second behind the Dolphins in yards per game (395) and seventh in points per game (25.8).
This is significant: The Eagles have allowed 14 sacks — 16th in the league — and they lost 2022 All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson to a high ankle sprain against the Jets, putting his status very much in question for the Dolphins game.
Keep in mind that the Eagles are 84-48-1 in games in which Johnson has played and 13-22 when he has been sidelined, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
And the Dolphins have the NFL’s third most sacks (21).
▪ How the Dolphins offensive line — the most pleasant surprise of their season — will hold up against a very talented Eagles front seven:
Eagles rookie standout defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s status for Sunday is in question because of an ankle injury that sidelined him against the Jets, Rosenhaus said on his TV segment.
The Dolphins still will need to deal with linebacker Haason Reddick (5.5 sacks) and defensive end Josh Sweat (3.5), among others.
The Eagles’ 20 sacks are fourth most. Conversely, Miami has allowed just six sacks, tied with the Chiefs for the fewest among teams that have played six games.
▪ The Alabama QB connection:
The two friends, Tagovailoa and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, have an intertwined history.
Down 13-0 to Georgia at halftime of the January 2018 college football championship game Alabama coach Nick Saban replaced Hurts with Tagovailoa, who led the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 overtime win. Hurts backed up Tagovailoa in 2018, then transferred to Oklahoma for his final college season.
While Tagovailoa was drafted fifth overall in 2020, Hurts went 53rd.
“I want to see him win and I know he wants to see me win,” Hurts said after the Eagles practiced against the Dolphins in Miami Gardens 14 months ago.
“I would say we don’t spend time together in the offseason, but we text each other,” Tagovailoa said at the time.
Their career stats:
Tagovailoa: 42 games, 40 starts, 26-14 as a starter, 66 TDs, 28 INT, 97.9 passer rating. After leading the league in passer rating among qualifiers at 105.5 last year, he’s leading again this season at 114.1.
Hurts: 51 games, 40 starts, 28-12, plus a Super Bowl appearance in a loss to Kansas City, 51 TDs, 26 INTs, 90.9 rating. His rushing ability is also a big component of his success; he has 2,151 rushing yards on 5.0 per carry.
Hurts was named second-team All-Pro last season, helped guide the Eagles to the Super Bowl and earned a five-year, $255 million extension, the type of deal that Tagovailoa should command from Miami if he remains healthy and continues playing at this elite level.
▪ The trade fallout:
The 2021 predraft deal between the teams stands as one of each franchise’s most significant transactions in years.
After trading the third overall pick in the 2021 Draft to San Francisco, Miami acquired the sixth overall pick (used on Waddle) and the 156th pick for the No. 12 pick, the No. 123 pick and a 2022 first-rounder.
The Eagles moved up from 12 to 10 to draft Waddle’s Alabama receiver teammate, Smith, then jumped two spots up with the Dolphins’ 2022 first-round to draft starting defensive tackle Jordan Davis.
With the benefit of hindsight, either team would have been fine staying at 12 and drafting Micah Parsons, who went 12th to Dallas and has 30.5 sacks in 38 games.
But the trade still worked out well for both. Waddle led the league in reception average last season (18.1 per catch), has 24 catches for 296 yards this season and has been a vital component of Miami’s high-octane offense. The two former Alabama receivers remain close.
▪ The Fangio angle:
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio last season assisted the Eagles and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who left to become the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job after the Super Bowl. Months later, it was reported that Arizona had illegal contact with Gannon before the Super Bowl and the teams reached a resolution by swapping draft picks.
If the Eagles’ defensive coordinator job had opened sooner, would Fangio have gone there instead? “That’s possible,” Fangio said, “I’ll neither confirm nor deny it.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has said: “Vic Fangio probably would not have taken the Dolphins defensive coordinator job and would be the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia today if everything was on the up and up [with Arizona’s pursuit of Jonathan Gannon].”
Fangio’s Dolphins defense ranks 25th in points allowed (26 per game) and 20th in yards allowed (343.7 per game).
This story was originally published October 16, 2023 at 12:00 PM.
