Dolphins vs. Eagles: What's the Game Plan for Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia Eagles return home this weekend to play the struggling Miami Dolphins.

Philadelphia traveled to Arlington, Texas, last week and pulled out a 33-27 overtime victory over its division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, on the first drive of overtime. Jordan Matthews came up big with a 41-yard touchdown reception to earn the Eagles their fourth victory of the regular season. The Eagles (4-4) are now only one victory behind the New York Giants and sit second in the NFC East.

Meanwhile, Miami limps into Week 10 in the midst of a two-game losing streak. The Dolphins lost last weekend 33-17 to the Buffalo Bills. Heading into Week 10, Miami sits at the bottom of the AFC East with a 3-5 record.

Although Philadelphia may only boast one more win than Miami, these two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Eagles are fighting to make a strong second-half push to win the NFC East. On the other side, the Dolphins are struggling in transition with Dan Campbell at the helm as the interim head coach.

Let’s take a look at the offensive and defensive strategies the Eagles should use against Miami this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Offensive Game Plan

Philadelphia is far from one-dimensional, but the effectiveness of the offense is dependent on the performance of the tailbacks.

The Eagles struggled to start the season, but now the team ranks 10th in the league, averaging 121.6 yards per game on the ground. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews have run for a total of 620 yards and six touchdowns as a pair through the past four games. Additionally, the duo has averaged 5.6 yards per carry through the same stretch of games.

On the other side, Miami is one of the worst teams at stopping the run. The Dolphins give up the second-most yards per game on the ground, as opposing teams have averaged 142.1 rushing yards through eight games.

Last week, the Bills ran the ball 36 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns against Miami’s poor rush defense. Individually, both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams hit the 100-yard mark against the Dolphins in Buffalo’s 33-17 victory.

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

At the same time, the Eagles ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries last week against Dallas. Similar to Buffalo, Chip Kelly has two effective running backs to lean on, and last week he decided to utilize both of them. Kelly called Murray’s name 18 times, and he contributed 83 yards and one touchdown. Mathews also carried the ball 11 times for 67 yards.

Philadelphia possesses a major advantage on the ground come Sunday, and Kelly should take advantage of Miami’s weakness.

Defensive Game Plan

While Kelly will want to run his tailbacks early and often, Philadelphia needs to shut down Miami’s rushing attack early.

The Dolphins seemed to look for a new identity when they decided to fire Joe Philbin and name Campbell the interim head coach. Initially under Campbell’s reign, they saw a shift in emphasis toward a physical style of play that featured the running attack. Miami ran the ball 32 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns when it beat the Titans. Then the next week the Dolphins gained 248 yards on 35 rush attempts in their victory over Texans.

A large part of Miami’s rushing success came from the legs of Lamar Miller. The running back tallied 113 yards against Tennessee and 175 yards against Houston. However, Campbell quickly got away from the running back in the last two games. In Miami's two recent losses, Miller only carried the ball a total of 21 times for 59 yards.

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Philadelphia comes into the game ranked 21st in the league in rush defense, giving up 112.9 yards per game on the ground. However, Billy Davis’ defense has only given up three rushing touchdowns all season. Under Campbell, Miller has found the end zone five times while carrying the ball in just four games.

The Eagles suffered a big loss last weekend when Jordan Hicks went down with a torn pectoral. The rookie linebacker and Malcolm Jenkins are the team’s leading tacklers. With injuries mounting up, Philadelphia will need Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and the other big boys up front to rise up and limit Miami’s rushing attack.

If Philadelphia can shut down Miller early, Miami will give up on the ground game and become one-dimensional. Once that happens, it will simplify the game plan for Davis, and his pass-rushers can get after Ryan Tannehill.

Players and Matchups to Watch

Jordan Matthews vs. Brent Grimes

This season has been a roller-coaster ride for Matthews in his second year in the NFL.

Early in the season, the wide receiver struggled with drops in crucial situations. Matthews has only reeled in 48 of his 75 targets so far this season.

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

But last week he put forth his best effort of the season. Matthews caught nine passes for 133 yards, including a 41-yard pass for the game-winning touchdown. Following the game against Dallas, Kelly talked about the team’s confidence in the Vanderbilt product’s ability, according to NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo.

"I think Sam has never not had confidence in Jordan," Kelly said. "That's why he continues to throw the ball to him. Nor do we [never not have confidence in him]. That's why we continue to play him."

Following a strong performance, Matthews can put his drops behind him and perform closer to his full potential.

Miami’s top corner on the other side is the veteran Brent Grimes. The 32-year-old is a three time Pro Bowl selection but is coming off a terrible performance against the Bills. Sammy Watkins posted 168 yards on only eight targets last week, including touchdowns of 44 yards and 63 yards. Following last week’s game, Grimes blamed himself for Watkins' dominant performance.

“Uh, me. I messed up. Made some mistakes at the line and when you do that in this league, they can make big plays, so I take the blame for it. I didn’t bring my ‘A’ game today,” said Grimes, according to the Palm Beach Post’s Hal Habib.

While Matthews looks to put his drops behind him, Grimes may still be dwelling on his pitfalls from the week before. This weekend will feature a battle between a young receiver with potential and an experienced cornerback.

Prediction

Philadelphia returns home to begin a six-game stretch of non-divisional games before it finishes out the season against the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. Amidst a playoff push, the Eagles need to keep the ball rolling with a victory over the Dolphins.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Last week, Philadelphia’s established running attack kept Dallas’ defenders on their heels and opened up space for the passing attack. Sam Bradford benefited from the balanced approach, as he contributed one of his most consistent performances in a Philadelphia uniform. The quarterback finished 25-of-36 for 295 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Unlike last week, the Eagles should take some shots down the field. With a favorable matchup on the ground, Philadelphia will force Miami’s safeties to creep up into box. Kelly can get more aggressive with his play-calling as the running attack and tempo wear down Miami’s defense.

Speaking of being aggressive, Davis’ defense will try to get after Tannehill and force him into bad decisions. If Philadelphia shuts down Miller, the responsibility to move the offense will fall into the hands of the Miami quarterback.

Tannehill has already thrown nine interceptions and has fumbled the ball five times through eight games this season. On the other side, Philadelphia is tied for first with the most takeaways this year. The Eagles have already created 20 turnovers, including 12 interceptions and eight fumbles.

This Sunday, Bradford will make the necessary plays to stretch Miami’s defense with a few deep bombs to his receivers. And while Tannehill will rack up the yards with the ball consistently in his hands, he will be responsible for some costly turnovers.

The record may not show much of a difference between these two teams, but this matchup features squads heading in different directions. Philadelphia’s roster is starting to click and show the potential that it possesses. At the same time, Miami is struggling to find its identity.

The Eagles will return home to Lincoln Financial Field and win their fifth game of the season.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Dolphins 17