NFL Intriguing Game of the Week
Miami Dolphins (5-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)Bias+ Score 4 favors Miami Dolphins
By Barry Sterling Mitchell
In the words of renown boxing trainer Freddie, “Styles makes fights.” After training the likes of world champion Manny Pacquiao, five-time and four-division world champion Miguel Cotto, former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. and three-time world champion James Toney, he should know. I think that saying is apropos for this Dolphins-Eagles matchup.
The ‘Intriguing’ aspect is that these teams are only 4 net points apart. One team is infamous for their speed and scoring ability. The other is renown for the ‘Tush Push’ aka the ‘Brotherly Shove. I’m being a wise a$$ here admittedly. The Eagles are winning but in underwhelming fashion whereas the Dolphins are breaking records.
Let’s look at the favored team first.
Dolphins have the 2nd most total yards (2,992) through 6 games of a season in NFL history. Tyrese Hill is 1st in rec yds (814) rec TDs (6) and De’von Achane has the most rush yards per attempt since 1970 at 12.1 yds. This is just a primer on what the Dolphins have accomplished this season.
The Dolphins rank 1st in Points For at 37.2 points per game (ppg) Offense is not the question for the ‘Phins. They rank 26th in Points Against allowing 26 points per game. To add insult to injury they rank 25th in Average Turnover Differential at -0.7. Overall, the Dolphins rank 3rd in Net points at +11.2.
The Eagles rank 6th in Net Points at +5.2. A more modest ranking compared to the Miami. They rank 5th in scoring at 25.8 ppg and 21st in scoring defense allowing 22.5 ppg. They are 19th in ATOD at -0.2. Behind these numbers is a team that is 2nd in time of possession at 34.02 minutes and whose offensive line is ranked 2nd by Pro Football Focus (PFF). They rank 1st in 3rd downs made and 4th in 4th downs made at 6 of 10. Versus the Rams the completed a 17 play, 83 yards drive that burned 8:09 for a field goal. Seems it’s just the way they’ve done things so far.
There will be a lot of high-level talent on the field. For example, the Dolphins are known for their speed but the Eagles are no slouches in this department.
While there’s no one to match Hill and Waddle whose Madden speed ratings are 99 and 98, the Eagles have receivers and DBacks in the low 90’s for speed. The Dolphins should have no trouble matching the Eagle’s receivers speed while the Eagles defense must account for their speed deficit.
One area where the Eagles are not at a deficit is the line, both offensive and defensive. PFF has the Eagles Oline ranked 3rd. Their Dline is ranked #1. That’s as opposed to Miami whose Oline is ranked 8th and Dline is ranked a surprising 4th. Lastly, just to mention the QBs, I’ll call it even as Madden has Tua ranked 88 and Hurts ranked 87.
Bottom line, this looks like a very even match. It may be a good thing for Tua that he’s been practicing his Ju-Jitsu with that hungry Eagles DLine out to get him. While not exactly a tortoise vs the hare situation, the Eagles physicality will be highly challenged by the creativity and speed of Miami.
Lastly, I have to mention that Miami has a bit of a skew in their favor after beating Denver by 50 while the Eagles can play 11 on 11 ball and bully them with the ‘Shove’.
Again, Styles make fights. Can I say Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns??? Enjoy!
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