Two 5-1 heavyweights collided on Sunday Night Football, but the Philadelphia Eagles emerged victorious with a 31-17 result over the Miami Dolphins.
Philadelphia dominated much of the first half thanks to Jalen Hurts' ability to extend plays, as he hit Dallas Goedert for a 19-yard catch-and-run score before running in a "Brotherly Shove" sneak from a yard out.
Miami answered back just before the end of the half thanks to Tua Tagovailoa's perfectly timed 27-yard pass to Tyreek Hill that made it 17-10. The Dolphins tied it at 17 after a Jerome Baker pick-six in the third quarter, but Philadelphia never allowed another point as it tush pushed its way to a 6-1 start.
Let's analyze the game further with five takeaways:
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Jalen Hurts outplays Tua Tagovailoa in first matchup
Two Alabama products faced off the first time in the NFL, believe it or not. But Hurts has been the better quarterback throughout their respective years, and he proved that in their first head-to-head meeting.
Hurts completed 23 of 31 passes for 279 yards, two touchdowns and one pick along with a rushing touchdown, illustrating his composure while dominating possession. Tagovailoa wasn't far off, completing 23 of 32 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown and one pick. But Miami's offense just couldn't get a foothold of the game.
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Dolphins stymied by penalties
It didn't help Miami that exactly zero calls went in its favor on the night. The Dolphins tallied 10 penalties for 70 yards, while the Eagles escaped without a single call despite some controversial moments.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will want to review the film to see what went wrong, but there's no doubt this game could've been closer if not for the disparity.
"Brotherly Shove" continues its influence
As soon as the Eagles line up in this play, it's over. Hurts ran in a touchdown off of it, but the most important usage came in the fourth quarter before Philadelphia hit 31 points. The Eagles went 83 yards on 13 plays during it, with two of them coming from fourth-and-short scenarios they tush pushed their way through.
Whether the play is allowed to continue, there's no doubt no team can optimize it the way Philadelphia can. Who knows what happens in this one if that play never materialized.
Not enough explosiveness from Dolphins' offense
The Dolphins had a Devon Achane-sized hole in their offense, but they still had more than talent offensively to stretch Philly's defense. But not much went their way as the Eagles sniffed out any trickery Miami tried to pull off.
Raheem Mostert was limited on the ground before a 21-yard run gave him 45 yards total on the ground on nine attempts. Tyreek Hill collected 88 receiving yards on 11 catches and a touchdown, but it was really just the 27-yard score that damaged Philadelphia.
Jaylen Waddle played through back pain and logged 63 yards on five catches while Cedrick Wilson Jr. cashed in his two catches for 48 big yards. But Miami had 244 total yards on the night when they averaged 505.7 coming into the night. The Eagles, on the other hand, posted 355 total.
Some of that was because one of Miami's touchdowns was a pick-six, thus eliminating a potential possession for the offense, but it still wasn't the Dolphins offense we've seen in 2023. The Eagles' defense deserves credit for that, too.
A.J. Brown stands out among elite WR matchup
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle formed a stellar matchup between two of the top receiving duos in the NFL. That's before mentioning Dolphins' Cedrick Wilson Jr. and newly signed Eagle Julio Jones, who is far from his prime.
But Brown stood out as the best of a talented bunch, recording his fifth straight game with at least 125 receiving yards. That's tied for the longest streak in league history, as in Week 7 he recorded 137 yards on 10 catches and a touchdown (15 targets).
That included a ridiculous 42-yard grab that led to Philadelphia making it 31-17.
Philadelphia will be on the road to face the Washington Commanders in Week 8 while Miami will host the New England Patriots.
