Dolphins vs Eagles: Full Philadelphia Game Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles will look to keep the momentum rolling this weekend as they return home to take on the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-27 in a thrilling overtime contest last Sunday night to improve to 4-4, and 2-2 against division opponents. The Eagles came back strong from their bye week as they avenged their Week 2 defeat to against their rivals. Philadelphia now sits in second place in the NFC East following last week's win as they trail the New York Giants by one win.

Through Week 9, the Eagles already played four of their six divisional games in their schedule, but they do not play another NFC East opponent until Week 16. Philadelphia will play six straight non-divisional games before playing the Washington Redskins and Giants to finish out the regular season.

To kick off this unique stretch, Philadelphia hosts the Dolphins on Sunday. Miami comes into Week 10 sitting at the bottom of the AFC East. They are also on a two-game losing streak streak following their 33-17 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. This season has not gone as planned for the organization as it was forced to fire Joe Philbin and appoint Dan Campbell as the interim head coach.

Beyond trying to defeat their second AFC East opponent this season, the Eagles will look to make up ground on the Giants this weekend as New York faces a tough task against the New England Patriots.

Let's look ahead to some matchups and storylines ahead of the Eagles' Week 10 home game against the Dolphins. 

Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.

Date: Sunday

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Week 9 Results and Recap

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Philadelphia took care of business Sunday night against their division rivals, but it was not easy. The Eagles and Cowboys battled non-stop until Chip Kelly's team finally delivered the knockout blow in overtime and left Arlington with a 33-27 victory.

Sam Bradford found Jordan Matthews on the first possession of overtime for a 41-yard touchdown to end the game. The second-year wide receiver gained separation from rookie cornerback Byron Jones on his way to the end zone, handing Dallas their sixth straight loss without Tony Romo. Matthews seemed to put his struggles with dropped passes behind him as he brought in nine catches on 12 targets to finish with 133 yards and a touchdown.

However, the player likely under the most pressure last weekend was DeMarco Murray in his return to his former stomping grounds. The two-time Pro Bowl running back came to play against his former team, and he hurt Dallas both on the ground and in the passing game. Murray racked up 78 yards receiving to complement his 18 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the 27-yard-old came through when it mattered most with 46 total yards in overtime to help create the winning drive.

The Cowboys forced overtime following two suspect pass interference calls against Byron Maxwell on Dallas' last drive in regular time. The two calls set up Dan Bailey's 44-yard field goal that tied the game at 27 points.

For Dallas, wide receiver Dez Bryant also had his first touchdown catch of the season as he continues to get back to his All-Pro level of play following a broken right foot. In his second game back, Bryant finished with 104 yards on five catches, but he was not the team's leading receiver. Slot receiver Cole Beasley caused fits all night as he caught two touchdown passes on his way to a career day with nine catches for 112 yards.

The biggest play of the day came from Jordan Hicks. The Philadelphia inside linebacker stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception 67 yards for a touchdown. The rookie recognized the play and cut off the pass in the flat before it could reach Darren McFadden. 

Philadelphia looked impressive, particularly in the second half, but continued the trend of starting slow. The Eagles failed to score in the first quarter for the sixth time this season. However, Kelly's offense began to take form as Bradford settled into a rhythm. The quarterback finished with 295 yards as he completed 25 of his 36 attempts. 

Sunday night's game showcased Philadelphia's ability to fight and bring home a late victory. Kelly's balanced offense looked dangerous and shows potential as the Eagles make a playoff push in the second half of the season.

Latest Injury News

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Name	Position	Injury	Status on Wed.
Nelson Agholor	WR	Ankle	FP
Josh Andrews	C/G	Concussion	LP
Trey Burton	TE	Hamstring	FP
Riley Cooper	WR	Toe	LP
Malcolm Jenkins	S	Concussion	DNP
Ryan Mathews	RB	Groin	FP
DeMarco Murray	RB	Groin	FP
Jason Peters	T	Back	LP
DeMeco Ryans	LB	Hamstring	LP

Official Injury Report via PhiladelphiaEagles.com

FP = Full Participant; LP = Limited Participant; DNP = Did Not Participate

Injuries continue to plague Philadelphia, and the inside linebacker positions seem to be a revolving door of players this season. The Eagles had both Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks healthy last week against Dallas, but now they will be without Jordan Hicks. 

The rookie linebacker tore his left pectoral muscle in Philadelphia win over Dallas and now finds himself on Injured Reserve for the rest of the season, according to ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan.

Before Hicks' injury, Philadelphia already lost Kendricks, Alonso and DeMeco Ryans for a total of 11 games already this season. Alonso returned Sunday night for the first time since injuring his knee against the Cowboys in Week 2. The Eagles should be able to cope with the loss of Hicks due to their depth at the position, but his impact and ability to make big plays was undeniable this season

Billy Davis will face another challenge this weekend as Malcolm Jenkins suffered a concussion late in the game against Dallas. The safety did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday, but Chip Kelly is not worried about the safety's status, according to Sheridan.

"He should be back tomorrow," Kelly said. "We're not concerned about that."

The safety did not practice with the team Wednesday according to the team's injury report, so his availability will naturally be in doubt. Jenkins would be a major loss as he is currently tied for the team lead in tackles, 54, with Hicks. Losing both of their leading tacklers could be crippling to Philadelphia as they strive for consistency.

The Eagles are far from fully healthy, but the most concerning injuries are present on the defensive side of the ball. Philadelphia has the depth to replace Hicks, but finding a replacement in the secondary will be difficult. And while Chris Maragos battles and is a suitable rotational player, Jenkins is one of the leaders of the defense, and he will be greatly missed if he cannot suit up.

Key Matchup

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Miami's Defense vs. Philadelphia's Running Backs

The Eagles possess a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, but Philadelphia's tailbacks are the heartbeat of the team. The high-powered offense is dependent on their three-headed monster's ability to grind out yards on the ground.

For the Dolphins, many of Miami's problems come down to their inability to stop the run. The Dolphins give up 142.1 yards a game on the ground, which is the second most in the NFL.

Last week, Buffalo ran rampant all over Miami's defense on their way to a 33-17 win. The Bills ran the ball 36 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns last Sunday. Both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams tagged the Dolphins for 100-yard games on the ground.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia's rushing attack has picked up steam following a slow start to the season. The Eagles rank 10th in the NFL as they gain 121.6 yards per game on the ground. Last week, Philadelphia rushed 35 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas' 17th-ranked rush defense.

More importantly, Chip Kelly relied on a balanced distribution of carries out of the backfield last week for the first time this season. DeMarco Murray carried the ball 18 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. At the same time, Ryan Mathews added a touchdown and 67 yards on his 11 rushing attempts.

Similar to Buffalo, Philadelphia can rely on a reliable, multifaceted rushing attack against Miami. If Philadelphia can capitalize on a favorable matchup running the ball, it will help open up the rest of Kelly's offense and take pressure off Sam Bradford.

Matchup X-Factor

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Brandon Graham

Philadelphia lost one of its best impact players last week as the team placed Jordan Hicks on injured reserve. Now the Eagles need another player to step up and make game-changing plays on the defensive side of the ball.

Brandon Graham possesses the ability to strike fear into opposing offenses.

The outside linebacker recorded two strip sacks of Matt Cassel last week against the Cowboys. Philadelphia failed to recover the loose balls, but Graham showed his ability to create turnovers.

The former first-round draft pick did not flourish immediately upon entering the league. Graham joined Philadelphia as an undersized defensive end from the University of Michigan, but he then switched to a hybrid outside linebacker when Billy Davis brought his 3-4 scheme.

The 27-year-old is now in his first year as a regular starter following the departure of veteran Trent Cole this offseason. The pressure is on as Davis needs Connor Barwin and Graham to help the defensive line get after the quarterback.

Following his performance against Dallas, Graham now has four sacks on the season, and all of them came in the last four games. To go along with his sacks, Graham also forced three fumbles already this season. The University of Michigan product's career high for sacks is 5.5, and he recorded that total in both 2012 and 2014. 

Philadelphia ranks 20th in the league with 14 sacks on the season, and Graham is only one sack behind Fletcher Cox's team-leading five sacks. Graham is starting to heat up this season, and Davis needs him to consistently produce to create a reliable pass rush.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Dolphins 17

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

The Eagles begin a long stretch of non-divisional games against the Dolphins this weekend, and they need to start off on a good foot to make a strong push for the NFC East title.

Philadelphia currently sits a half game behind first place with one less win than the New York Giants. Meanwhile, transitioning Miami is is struggling to find consistency under interim coach Dan Campbell as they sit at the bottom of the AFC East.

This is a game Philadelphia will be expected to win, and they should take care of business and keep their momentum rolling. New York plays the Patriots, arguably the best team in the NFL, this weekend so this could be a chance for the Eagles to gain some ground in the division. 

Philadelphia started the second half of their season strong last week with a win over the Dallas Cowboys due to their balanced game plan. The Eagles will need to rely on a multifaceted attack yet again this weekend to beat the Dolphins. 

The established running game kept Dallas defenders on their heels and opened things up in the passing game. Sam Bradford put forth one of his most consistent performances of the season last week. He completed 25-of-36 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown. Equally as important as his yards and touchdown pass was his ability to protect the ball and not throw any interceptions.

With a favorable matchup on the ground this weekend, Chip Kelly needs to rely heavily on their running attack. The key for the Eagles will be to split carries evenly between both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews.

If both of their dynamic tailbacks can get it done on the ground, Miami’s safeties will begin to creep up towards the line, and then Kelly can get more aggressive with his play-calling. Bradford did well last week taking the easy completions, but look for him to take a few more shots downfield against Miami’s secondary.

In the few times Kelly opted for the play-action pass from under center this season, the Eagles have had success. Jordan Matthews had his best game of the season last week and will continue to build on that performance. The second-year wide receiver can now put the mental strain of his drops behind him and make big plays down the field this weekend. 

Although Philadelphia only has one more win than Miami, the Eagles should take care of business as they return home to Lincoln Financial Field.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Dolphins 17