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Game Summary:
Disappointing.
The Miami Dolphins fell flat on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, by a score of 31-17. You know the drill, let’s dive in.
Reason 1: And It Was All Yellow...
Coldplay lyrics aside, the Dolphins saw too far much yellow on Sunday night.
Of course, I’m talking about the 10 penalties called against Miami, to Philadelphia’s zero. Whether these penalties were deserved or not is a different story, but the fact remains—you simply can’t play sloppy football on the road against an elite team, and expect to leave with a victory. In key moments, the Dolphins were far too ill disciplined against the Eagles, and it cost them the game.
The 10-0 penalty disparity in the Dolphins' loss to the Eagles Sunday night was only the seventh time in NFL history one team was not penalized while its opponent was called for double-digit penalties.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 23, 2023
Reason 2: No Spark, No Fire
Miami’s offense was uncharacteristically slow against Philadelphia, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. At times, the Dolphins tried to get too cute on offense, and relied on trick plays to move the ball down the field.
Why move away from what’s worked for the team all season? Why not take more shots down the middle of the field? Why not force Philadelphia to respect the ground game? The answers to these questions are above my pay-grade, so let’s just leave it there.
Reason 3: Gone Missing: Miami’s Rushing Game
To say that the Dolphins struggled to run the ball against the Eagles, would be the understatement of the decade. Miami ended the first half with -7 rushing yards, the lowest first half total of any team since 2009 (Indianapolis Colts).
In turn, Miami’s passing attack suffered. Philadelphia had no reason to respect Miami’s ground game, and consequently dropped their safeties and linebackers into coverage, taking away Miami’s bread-and-butter—the deep ball. The Dolphins were able to get things going in the second half via Raheem Mostert, but it was too little, too late. As a team, the Dolphins had just 45 rushing yards, their lowest tally all season.
Game Preview:
Next Sunday, the Dolphins will play host to the 2-5 New England Patriots, who are coming off a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills. Miami is 5-1 in their last six matchups against the Patriots.
What are your thoughts on Miami’s performance in Week 7? Let us know in the comments below, or at @ThePhinsider and @flameosumeet on Twitter!
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