Dolphins vs. Eagles: Full Miami Game Preview
The Miami Dolphins cap off their November road stretch on Sunday, as they visit the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time since 2007.
The Dolphins have lost their last two games, and at 3-5, it will take a miracle finish to get into the playoffs. The Eagles, who are 4-4, will be hungry on Sunday, as they are currently a half-game behind the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East.
Both teams are coming off of emotionally charged road games against their division rivals, but while the Dolphins found themselves getting blown out in Buffalo, the Eagles came out victorious in overtime over the Dallas Cowboys.
How will each team recover from Week 9? Here's a preview of the Dolphins taking on the Eagles.
Week 9 Results and Recap
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No matter how good the middle might be, if you start badly and end worse, you wind up with what the Miami Dolphins did in Buffalo, as they lost 33-17.
That's not to say there weren't mistakes made by the Dolphins during that good middle—mistakes like bad clock management, poor play-calling and poor awareness by quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the rest of the players on the field—but Miami could have overcome some of those mistakes had it not made some of the others.
In a way, this loss was the exposure of interim head coach Dan Campbell. In his first two games as a coach, Miami faced two of the worst teams in the NFL, and it blew both teams out. His second game came against the best team in the NFL, and while the Dolphins were able to hang with New England for most of the game, eventually it became a blowout, as New England's superior talent was too much for the Dolphins to recover from.
Buffalo was a more even matchup for the Dolphins in terms of talent, and it was the lack of intelligence from the coaching staff that eventually did Miami in, specifically on two plays mentioned at length in my grades, notes and quotes article from Sunday.
Here's a look at the current AFC East standings. Note that the Jets take on the Bills on Thursday night, and the standings will be updated after said game.
| Team | W | L | T |
| New England | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Buffalo | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Miami | 3 | 5 | 0 |
News and Notes
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Parker Confident He Can Make Impact in 2015
It has been a rough 2015 for the Miami Dolphins' rookie class—especially first-round pick DeVante Parker.
Parker is currently fourth on the depth chart and has struggled with a left foot injury that has given him problems since his final season at Louisville. He only has four catches for 49 yards in seven games this season, and he missed last week's game against Buffalo after reaggravating the injury during Miami's Week 8 loss to New England.
Despite that, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post, Parker is confident he can make an impact in 2015.
“I have it in me,” Parker said. “It’s just a matter of time if I’m going to be able to be on the field like that.”
While the receivers ahead of Parker have had solid or spectacular seasons so far, Parker adds an element that Miami has longed for since trading away Brandon Marshall—being a big threat in the red zone while also having great playmaking ability.
Unfortunately, staying healthy is the only way Parker can use those tools. It will take time before Parker can really recover from said injury, and the way it's been nagging him this season, one might think the Dolphins might consider shutting him down sometime before the end of the season to allow him to get healthy.
Billy Turner Misses Wednesday Practice with Knee Injury
Miami's offensive line gives plenty of reason to panic, but another one was added on Wednesday.
Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel reported that right guard Billy Turner missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, and if he can't participate in Thursday or Friday's practice, rookie Jamil Douglas will replace him.
Turner has been a key factor in Miami's offense since taking over for Douglas at right guard prior to the Week 6 contest against Tennessee, and he has helped jump-start Miami's run game by creating holes and helping to dominate at the line of scrimmage.
With Ja'Wuan James out again on Sunday, Turner is even more important, as the drop-off between he and Douglas is stark. Douglas does have the ability to improve, as he's playing a brand-new position in the NFL, but the line feels a bit steadier and a lot stronger with Turner.
Dolphins Complain to NFL About Questionable Calls in Buffalo
There were a few questionable calls that went against Miami last week in Buffalo, mainly two that involved Ndamukong Suh on back-to-back plays.
While these calls weren't the reason for Miami's loss, they helped swing the momentum of the game.
Miami submitted the two calls, one a potential Suh sack that was ruled an incomplete pass, the other a possible holding penalty, to the NFL for review, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
The NFL has yet to comment on the two plays.
This would be a moot point had Dan Campbell declined the penalty against Buffalo that turned 4th-and-4 (with the Bills ready to punt or kick a long field goal) into a 3rd-and-14, which was the play where Tyrod Taylor hit Sammy Watkins in the end zone for a backbreaking touchdown.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jordan Cameron | Tight End | Hamstring | Limited Participation |
| Ja'Wuan James | Right Tackle | Toe | Out |
| Jelani Jenkins | Linebacker | Ankle | Limited Participation |
| Jordan Kovacs | Safety | Knee | Limited Participation |
| Brice McCain | Cornerback | Knee | Full Participation |
| Koa Misi | Linebacker | Foot | Limited Participation |
| DeVante Parker | Wide Receiver | Foot | Limited Participation |
| Spencer Paysinger | Linebacker | Neck | Did Not Practice |
| Jordan Phillips | Defensive Tackle | Knee | Limited Participation |
| Billy Turner | Right Guard | Knee | Did Not Practice |
| Damien Williams | Wide Receiver | Hand | Full Participation |
Injury report courtesy of MiamiDolphins.com.
The bad news for the Dolphins is Ja'Wuan James remains out, and if Turner is unable to go, the right side of the offensive line will be that much weaker.
Jordan Cameron's hamstring injury is also worth keeping an eye on, as it seemed to hamper his performance (and playing time) against the Bills last week.
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Key Matchups
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Eagles RB Ryan Mathews vs. Miami's Linebackers
Miami's run defense has been atrocious in 2015, as the Dolphins are ranked 31st against the run, allowing an average of 142.1 yards per game.
This isn't a good sign when you consider the Eagles run for an average of 121.6 yards per game and do so with the combination of Ryan Mathews and DeMarco Murray.
Mathews is the running back the Dolphins should be more worried about, as he runs for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. He should be heavily featured by the Eagles on Sunday, and he could make Miami's paper-thin linebackers look overmatched.
Eagles CB Nolan Carroll vs. Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry
The Dolphins will see an old friend on Sunday in Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll.
Carroll starts as the left boundary cornerback for the Eagles, and while he has two interceptions this season, he has also allowed 224 yards after the catch and a quarterback passer rating of 85.9, per Pro Football Focus.
Carroll will have to cover Miami's reigning king of YAC in Jarvis Landry, a player who can make plays once the ball is in his hands. Expect the Dolphins to pick on Carroll frequently throughout the contest.
X-Factors
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Miami Dolphins X-factor: Ryan Tannehill
Aside from a third-quarter fumble, Ryan Tannehill had a good game against Buffalo.
Tannehill will not only have to replicate that effort on Sunday, but he'll have to exceed it.
This game will come down to the quarterback on both teams, and the Dolphins are a tad stronger at the position. As long as Tannehill remains efficient and upright, Miami should be in great shape.
Philadelphia Eagles X-factor: Sam Bradford
To further drive home how important the quarterbacks are to either team's chance of victory, our Eagles X-factor is Sam Bradford.
Bradford has struggled in his first season in Philadelphia, with 10 touchdowns balanced out by 10 interceptions and a passer rating of 79.5. These numbers are fairly bad on their own, but when you consider that Philadelphia's rushing attack is one of the best in the league, one should expect more success for the Eagles through the air.
Prediction: Dolphins 26, Eagles 20
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There's no reason why the Dolphins should win on Sunday.
They can't stop the run, while the Eagles specialize in running the ball well. The Miami offensive line is in shambles right now, and the Eagles defensive line has done well this season.
If you were to think of a team likely to beat the Dolphins, it would be the Eagles—based off each team's strengths and weaknesses.
Strange things happen in the NFL, though, and my gut feeling is that Sunday is going to be a strange game with a strange result.
On Sunday morning when I publish the game-plan article, I'll explain in further detail how the Dolphins will beat the Eagles, and the play of Tannehill will have a lot to do with it.
Prediction: Miami 26, Philadelphia 20
Statistics provided by NFL.com. Advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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