To Beat The Dolphins, The Eagles Need To Get Physical
The Eagles face by far their toughest test of the season this weekend. The Dolphins offense is as explosive as it gets. Are their numbers a little inflated by beating…
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 08: Haason Reddick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his sack of Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams on fourth down, late during the fourth quarter in a 23-14 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Inglewood, California.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)The Eagles face by far their toughest test of the season this weekend. The Dolphins offense is as explosive as it gets. Are their numbers a little inflated by beating up on the Broncos, Giants, and Panthers? Sure. But they are still the most dangerous offense in the league. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and of course Tua Tagovailoa himself,a ll present serious threats. They lead in almost every offensive metric, and in some cases the gap between them and the second team is wide.
But the Eagles have a very clear plan to try and stop them. And Sean Desai told you himself what they plan to do. In his Tuesday press conference, Desai talked about his approach to beating a team with elite speed. The takeaway? "Speed can hurt you, but physicality can hurt speed."
And later in the week, Tim McManus joined 'The Best Show Ever?' and gave his thoughts on what Desai meant by that, and how the Eagles will approach trying to stop the Dolphins' offense.
"I love that line. There is a lot of truth to it. And I think that it tells you exactly what the Eagles are going to try and do in this game. They will try and make it a brawl. So what does that mean from the defensive side of the ball? Number one is that they have to win at the line of scrimmage, they have to wreak havoc in the backfield, and they have to get after Tua.
It puts a highlight and a focus on the strength of this team. Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat... This has to be their game. As good as the corners are for the Eagles, it has been proven through 6 weeks that there is nobody stopping this attack. Certainly not going mano a mano. So you are just going to have to get Tua off of his spot."
And that is one thing the Eagles have done great all season long. Yes, their sack numbers aren't as high as last year. But they are still 6th in Pass Rush Win Rate, and 7th in sacks per game. Josh Sweat is behind only Michah Parsons in QB pressures, and despite missing last week, Jalen Carter is still first among DTs with 25 QB pressures. Haason Reddick had a slow start to the season, but now has 3 straight weeks with a sack, and 2 straight with multiple sacks.
That is the way this defense wins. Darius Slay returning will help a banged-up secondary a lot. But no matter how good Bradberry and Slay are, if Tua has time, the Dolphins are going to score points. Tyreek Hill is too good and too fast. But if he doesn't have time to beat his guys deep, then they can't pull off deep plays. So it falls on the best unit the Eagles have to do what they do best. Get after the QB. Put pressure on Tua, and force him into quick decisions. And then when he makes those quick throws, make your tackles. Dont let them get yards after the catch. Which is where the physicality comes in for the Corners.
It is all easier said than done. But it is not like the Dolphins offense has been flawless all season. The Bills held them to 20 points. In that game, Tua was sacked 4 times and hit 9 times. The Bills pulled off the gameplan the Eagles will be attempting to do this weekend. They also got out to an early lead and forced the Dolphins to be more one-dimensional, which helped.
So some of the onus on stopping the Dolphins also falls on the offense showing up. Not just by sustaining long drives, as the Eagles have done all year long. But finishing them, and scoring TDs.
You can listen to the full conversation with Tim McManus below:
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Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 7 Starters
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their undefeated record in Week 6 of 2023 NFL season against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Their first loss of the season won't ruin their playoff chances, but their Week 7 starters will look a little different due to injuries to key players.
The defending NFC champs will face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football in Week 7.
Philadelphia Eagles Fall to New York Jets
The Eagles didn't put together flawless performances in the early weeks of the season. However, they entered the matchup against the Jets at 5-0.
Jalen Hurts threw three interceptions, including a costly pic to Tony Adams that set up the game-winning touchdown. Dallas Goedert and D'Andre Swift also made costly mistakes that contributed to the turnover plague.
The Philadelphia defense kept the New York offense in check, especially without key contributors like Darius Slay and Jalen Carter.
The loss of Lane Johnson early in the game stunted the offensive momentum. Jack Driscoll replaced Johnson, who will get news about a potential high ankle sprain this week.
Projected Philadelphia Eagles Week 7 Starters
The Eagles face serious injury concerns. Avonte Maddox is already out for the season, and the revolving door of reserve defensive backs has its fair share of injuries. Slay could return against the Dolphins, but the status of Reed Blankenship is now in question.
Fletcher Cox returned against the Jets after missing the Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Nakobe Dean returned to the field Sunday for the first time since suffering an injury in Week 1. Nicholas Morrow still played 55% of the defensive snaps while Dean saw 49%. Zach Cunningham played 75%, and Sean Desai will have to manage the rotation moving forward.
Injury news will also affect the Eagles Week 7 starters, as news about Johnson, Blankenship, Slay, and others will drop throughout the week.
Jalen Hurts
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesQuarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020
D'Andre Swift
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesRunning Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)
A.J. Brown
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesWide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)
DeVonta Smith
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesWide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021
Olamide Zaccheaus
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty ImagesWide Receiver, #13
University of Virginia
5th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (April 2023)
Dallas Goedert
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesTight End, #88
South Dakota State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018
Jordan Mailata
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesLeft Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018
Landon Dickerson
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesLeft Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021
Jason Kelce
Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty ImagesCenter, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011
Sua Opeta
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesRight Guard, #78
Weber State University
4th NFL Season, Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (November 2019)
Lane Johnson
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty ImagesLeft Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013
Josh Sweat
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesDefensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018
Fletcher Cox
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesDefensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012
Jordan Davis
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty ImagesDefensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022
Milton Williams
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesDefensive Tackle, #93
Louisiana Tech
3rd NFL Season, Drafted in 3rd Round (73rd Overall) in 2021
Haason Reddick
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesEdge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)
Nakobe Dean
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesLinebacker, #17
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 3rd Round (83rd overall) in 2022
Zach Cunningham
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesLinebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)
Darius Slay
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesCornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)
James Bradberry
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesCornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)
Terrell Edmunds
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesSafety, #26
Virginia Tech
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)
Sydney Brown
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesSafety, #21
University of Illinois
1st NFL Season, Drafted in 3rd Round (66th Overall) in 2023
