Intriguing Game- NFL, Week Seven

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles

Dolphins: After the beatdown they took at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in week four, they’ve bounced back nicely winning their last two games. The offense we saw back in the first three weeks of the season is what we’ve seen these last two weeks. Mike McDaniel has become one of the best offensive minded guys in our league and I love what he’s been able to do with this offense. They have speed all over and most importantly, they have a balanced offensive attack which is a rarity considering this is such a pass happy league. What makes this offense go is the tandem of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill and in my eyes as we speak, this is the best Quarterback/Wide Receiver tandem in the league. I may sound like a broken record player when I say it, the Miami Dolphins are the perfect example of building around your Quarterback and putting him in the best position to win football games. They drafted his college teammate in Jaylen Waddle back in 2021 and last season, they were able to acquire Tyreek from the Kansas City Chiefs. Speaking of Cheetah, he’s been the best Wide Receiver in the league this year and it hasn’t been close if you ask me. I still remember when many of you said he wouldn’t be much without Mahomes. Cheetah needs just 186 yards to record 1,000 receiving yards. He was my pick for Offensive Player of the Year when I wrote my predictions down and as I said with Dan Campbell in yesterday’s preview, he’s making me look good. The other day when I was on “The Prime”, someone asked me are the Dolphins for real? I respectfully said no because their defense is very up and down and that is what I feel will keep them from playing up with the elite in this league. You must be able to dominate on both sides of the ball. This Sunday night, they will make a trip to South Philadelphia.

Eagles: Sunday against the Jets shouldn’t be a surprise to you. Yes, I thought they’d beat them, but I can sit here and say I’m not shocked that they lost because if you look at the 5-0 start, nothing really stood out. They escaped with a five-point victory in Foxboro against the Patriots in week one, a six point victory against the Vikings in week two, a 14 point win in Tampa Bay in week three (which they played sloppily), they needed overtime to put the Washington Commanders away in week four and against the Rams in week five, they escaped with a nine point victory. Outside of the Buccaneers game, do you notice a trend? Many of their wins were single margin victories. I know I’ve been on record saying the “off start” was because of losing both coordinators. It’s beyond that at this point because the Eagles just haven’t clicked this year and they haven’t been as good as the undefeated start implied. All their issues were further exposed on Sunday in East Rutherford. One, I don’t understand why you’d throw the football on third down when you have the lead. Run. The. Ball! It’s not that difficult! Again, when I was on “The Prime” the other day, I was also asked about Jalen Hurts and has the league figured him out? I said yes because there’s definitely more film on him and he hasn’t looked as comfortable as he did all last year when he was considered an MVP candidate. He threw three interceptions in that loss on Sunday to the Jets. They are one of the five teams with a 5-1 record after six games. I’ll just come out and say it. They haven’t scared me as much as I thought and their Offensive Line hasn’t been as strong as anticipated. This Sunday night, they return home for a showdown with the 5-1 Miami Dolphins.

Dolphins X-Factor: Christian Wilkins– I loved him at Clemson and he’s impressed me since coming into the NFL. Christian is that energy guy that brings out the best in everyone around him. He’s so underrated to me as a Defensive Tackle. You ask any of his peers around the league, they will tell you how much of a challenge he is to prepare for because he’s so quick from the interior of the line and gets wherever he wants. He’s referred to himself as a “three level defensive tackle” because Christian can make plays behind the Line of Scrimmage, at the Line of Scrimmage or down the field 15-20 yards down the field.

Eagles X-Factor: D’Andre Swfit– He’s been the saving grace of this offense. It appears he’s the only one that will do something when the football is in his hands. I wish I could say that about the other skill guys on the team. You call D’Andre’s number, he will run up the middle or bounce outside and get those yards. Anytime I watch him, I see a shifty back who makes people miss effortlessly and he’s so quick with the ball in hands. I’m just happy to see that he’s healthy and staying on the field.

Three Things I’m Watching

1. Tua vs Eagles Defense: The Eagles haven’t seen an offense as quick, balanced and explosive as they will see here on Sunday night. If I’m the Eagles, I’d take a page out of the Buffalo Bills’ book and turn up my physicality a few notches because we’ve already see when you’re physical with a team who possesses speed, they can’t handle it and they fold which makes it tough to recover from.

2. Hurting?: Jalen Hurts hasn’t been the guy he was last season and that’s because he’s been figured out as I mentioned up top. He had the worst game of his young career the other day throwing three interceptions. I want to see how he bounces back and can he get back on track. This is a Miami defense that can be had. Even the Panthers were able to move the football down the field on them early on in week six.

3. Litmus Test: The Dolphins are 5-1 which is their best start since 2002. Yes, they saying is true, you beat who you beat. Miami’s five wins have come against teams with a combined record of 5-24. The only team they’ve faced with a winning record is the Buffalo Bills who handed them their first loss of the season. This is indeed a litmus test for them. In order to be considered a contender, you have to beat the other contenders.

Final Thoughts: There’s a theme with this matchup. Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith all played for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The SEC will be very well represented in this game! I understand most Quarterbacks are hesitant with pressure being applied. However, Tua is a completely different guy under pressure as he completes only 40 percent of his passes. Another matchup to watch in this game is the Miami Offensive Line against the Eagles defensive front and the Eagles must force Tua to dink and dump underneath. Also, when Cheetah has the football, bring him down right away because he can take the shortest pass and turn it into a chunk play. I can see the Eagles taking a page out of the Bills playbook and turn up the physical nature. Run the football and dominate in those trenches. That’s exactly what Buffalo did and look what happened. This is by far the game of the week on the schedule and I think we’ll be very entertained by this one. I like the Eagles to bounce back at home on Sunday night.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Dolphins 30