Our Eagles vs. Dolphins predictions for Week 7 of the NFL season
Our Eagles vs. Dolphins predictions for Week 7 of the NFL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (5-1) return home to host the Dolphins (5-1) on Sunday Night Football from Lincoln Financial Field.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank (4-2)
I’m violating the cardinal rule of predictions this week and going against my initial impulse. After the Eagles lost to the Jets in sloppy fashion to drop to 5-1 and the Dolphins pounded the Panthers 42-21 to improve to 5-1, I was definitely leaning hard toward the Dolphins in their national TV Sunday night game against the Eagles at the Linc. But as I looked a little deeper, I realized two things: 1) The Dolphins haven’t beaten anyone good, and 2) the Eagles have. The Dolphins are 0-1 against teams that are .500 or better, with the one loss coming by a 48-20 score in Buffalo earlier this month. Their five other opponents are 5-24. Four of Miami’s wins have been against the worst teams in the NFL – the 1-5 Patriots, 1-5 Broncos, 1-5 Giants and 0-6 Panthers. There are six teams with one or fewer wins, and the Dolphins have played four of them. The Eagles, meanwhile, are 3-1 against non-losing teams, and they share the best record in the NFL against non-losing teams with the 49ers and Lions. The Dolphins are fast and explosive on offense and they’ll score some points. But the Eagles will have Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter and Darius Slay back and that’s huge. I think they find a way. Jalen Hurts hasn’t lost consecutive starts in two years, and I see that streak continuing.
Eagles 34, Dolphins 29
Dave Zangaro (5-1)
I was torn this week. The Eagles are returning to home after a loss and get to play a SNF game under the lights in kelly green jerseys. You hear all that and it’s hard to pick against them. But then you remember that the Eagles are dealing with significant injuries in their secondary and you remember that the Dolphins have the best offense in the NFL by a wide margin. The Eagles can’t hope to shut out the Dolphins so the question becomes: How much can they slow them down? I’m not sure they’ll be able to do enough. That Miami offense is just so dynamic at every level. But the big problem is that Tua Tagovailoa just doesn’t hold on to the football, which means the defensive line is going to have a hard time getting after him. And I just don’t have the confidence that the secondary will be able to force Tua to hold the ball long enough for the D-line to wreck the game.
I have some confidence that the Eagles will be able to score points in this game. The Dolphins’ secondary isn’t great and even though they have some defensive linemen I really like, this could end up being a shootout. The problem for the Eagles is that I think the Dolphins just have too many weapons to shut down. As a football fan, I’m just really looking forward to this one.
Dolphins 35, Eagles 31
Barrett Brooks (5-1)
I need this game to play out like the Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady will win the race. Running the rock with the Eagles OL is a must! Domination in the trenches and setting the tone up front early will help Jalen Hurts tremendously. I think that Hurts will need to use his legs to keep the chains moving, converting first downs. Time of possession is major to keep Miami's offense off the field.
Defensively, the pass rush must make Tua Tagovailoa uncomfortable and feeling small in the pocket. Even if the DL doesn't get to him for a sack, keeping their hands in the passing lanes will be effective in creating inaccurate passes. Tyreek Hill will get his yards, because he is such a dynamic player. But the defense will contain the run and shut down Tua's other weapons.
Eagles 28, Dolphins 24
Mike Mulhern (5-1)
The Dolphins enter Week 7 averaging more yards per game than any team in NFL history at nearly 500 per clip. Their 37.2 points per game would be the third highest mark ever. They’re racking up 100 more yards per game than the second-ranked team this season, the Eagles. They’re scoring a touchdown more per game than No. 2 San Francisco. These are video game numbers. Now, Miami’s offensive output is certainly inflated by their incredible 726-yard, 70-point thrashing of the Broncos. But even if you exclude that game, they’d still lead the league in yards by 55 per game and trail only the 49ers in points per game by a tenth of a point. Yet, I’m not completely sold that they can’t be stopped. The opponents they’ve beaten in their five wins have five combined wins themselves! They’ve whooped up on 0-6 Carolina. Beaten the one-win Patriots, Giants, and Broncos. And got by the two-win Chargers in the season opener. They’ve done so by attacking the middle of the field, and that’s where the Eagles have been most vulnerable. The pass rush, buoyed by the return of Jalen Carter, will have to win quick and hope Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle aren’t running free across the field.
The Eagles enter this matchup coming off their worst performance in a game quarterbacked by Jalen Hurts since the 2021 season. The man Hurts was benched for in the 2018 National Championship Game, Tua Tagovailoa, will be on the other sideline. Hurts can downplay how much he’s thought about that this week, but it’s probably the biggest chip he’s got on his shoulder. Couple that with how last week ended, and Hurts will be on a mission. He will have Lane Johnson back and a new weapon to throw to in Julio Jones. The Eagles will show a re-commitment to the run and manage to win the big-play battle despite Miami’s explosiveness. They get their first win in Kelly green since 1995.
Eagles 34, Dolphins 31
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