The Dolphins’ ‘next game’ vs. Eagles is also another test against the NFL’s elite
The Dolphins don’t want to make Sunday’s prime-time road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles more than it is, even with the compelling narratives and tantalizing matchups at play.
“No, no pressure at all,” wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “We’re going into a hostile environment against a good team. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be real competitive going in, but I wouldn’t say, pressure no.”
At the same time, there’s an understanding of the intrigue in the only game this weekend that pits two of the NFL’s five 5-1 teams against each other.
“It’s two teams that are 5-1. An unbelievable matchup,” running back Raheem Mostert said. “I know the stadium is going to be rocking. Sunday night, they’re coming out with the mean green [uniforms], and I think those are cold. It’s going to be fun, man. The atmosphere is going to be great. I know that — me personally, I was with Philly my rookie year, and I know what the fans bring, the energy and the boost that they’re going to have for their team. We just have to be able to control the exterior of everything and handle it well.”
The Dolphins are off to their best start since 2002 and have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL. A win on “Sunday Night Football” would give Miami its first 6-1 start since 1999, Dan Marino’s final season. But this weekend also marks what could be a telling stretch for the Dolphins. During the next three games, Miami will face both of last season’s Super Bowl participants, with a Week 9 matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Germany on the horizon.
Miami continues to outpace the rest of the league on offense, leading the NFL with 37.2 points per game. But Philadelphia isn’t far behind as an overall unit. Philadelphia’s 395 yards per game only trails Miami (498.7), making this the first game since 2016 to feature the top two offenses in the league in Week 7 or later.
Even as the Eagles, who fell to the New York Jets last week in a mistake-plagued defeat, have struggled to show the level of dominance they did as they captured the NFC’s No. 1 seed last season, the Dolphins are aware of the challenge ahead.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who saw Philadelphia up close as a consultant last season, said quarterback Jalen Hurts, last season’s NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up, “has no weaknesses.” He also called the Eagles’ offensive line “probably the best offensive line in the league from a talent standpoint.”
Even with the status of multiple key defenders uncertain because of injuries, the Eagles have a strong unit headlined by a deep and raucous defensive front.
“They are going to be a great challenge for us for what our long-term goals are,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said, “but our short-term focus has to be right now on how do we make sure that we’re at our best when our best is required Sunday night.”
One of the few criticisms — whether justified or not — for the Dolphins lies in their strength of victory. The five teams they have beaten have a combined record of 5-24 and none of their victories have come against a team that currently holds a winning record.
Miami’s lone matchup so far with a team in possession of a winning record — a Week 4 matchup against the Buffalo Bills — saw the Dolphins show a competitive effort in the first quarter before falling behind multiple scores in a 48-20 defeat.
“I think it’s always good when you’re facing a team that went to the Super Bowl, where they were just that short winning it,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “It’s always a test to go up against a team like this where they understand what it takes, they know the work that needs to be put in to make it there. And it definitely is a good opportunity to see where our team stands and where we’re at with that.”
As for the magnitude of the game, a matchup against a non-conference opponent won’t necessarily have far-reaching implications. Not with games against the likes of the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills still on the schedule, where head-to-head wins will likely factor greatly in seeding.
But the Dolphins feel they have grown since their loss to the Bills, especially in coming back from an early 14-0 deficit to defeat the Carolina Panthers 42-21 last week.
Now, they get to showcase their improvements against an opponent on a similar pedestal.
“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s our next game,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “But let’s be real here. We’re 5-1. They’re 5-1. This is a great test for us to see where we stack up against other great teams in this league. If we want to accomplish the things we want to accomplish, we’re going to have to face some good teams. Is it a measuring stick game? Yeah, I guess you could say that. Is it a game that we must win? Yeah, you can say that only because it’s the next game we have. It’s going to be a good one Sunday.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 2:16 PM.
