3 sneaky keys the Miami Dolphins need to turn to finally beat one of the "real teams" in the Philadelphia Eagles
By Matt Serniak
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The offensive line needs to be able to handle the fiere pressure of Philadelphia
A large part of why the Philadelphia Eagles are so successful as a team is because their defensive front is a bunch of men who love to destroy. There is nothing soft about this unit and they take a great amount of pride in dominating the line of scrimmage.
I fully embrace that the Dolphins are ranked tied for 4th in sacks with 21 on the year. It's wonderful and even a bit surprising because it doesn't feel like they have that many but they do. Well, the Eagles are right behind them with 20 and that certainly seems to track correctly.
A stat that is a bit more alarming is that the Eagles are 2nd in the league in rushing yards allowed per game with 66 yards a game. That I easily believe because the Georgia Bulldog front the Eagles, smartly realized was an intelligent way to build a defense, has Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter completely taking out guards and centers.
The rest of the defense isn't slouches either. Hassan Reddick has 5.5 sacks in only three games this year but, to me, Miami has done a good job with edge rushers this year. Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Matt Judon(who had one sack), and Brian Burns were just about invincible out there.
This is why I think the focus needs to be on making sure the interior lineman of the Eagles doesn't throw around Liam Eichenberg or Connor Williams if he plays, which at this time is very much in the air, Robert Hunt and Isaiah Wynn. We know how much this offense is predicated on Tua having his 40th-ranked amount of time to throw of 2.1 seconds(yes, I realize a reason for this is by design).
All the stunts the Eagles will throw at Miami need to be handled and communicated about. It simply has to happen.
Taking the air out of that tough-as-nails defense by running the ball is paramount. The Dolphins do much of their damage running to the outside including nontraditional ways such as backs coming in motion from the other side of the field. That needs to keep up because even though I don't love running east and west on Philly I feel the best way to run successfully is to avoid going north and south.
The Dolphin's offensive line has been sensational this year given the injuries to Terron Armstead, Connor Williams, and the fact that Kendall Laam and Austin Jackson have been more than serviceable. Kudos to Butch Barry. They need to keep that standard of solid play-up.