Be thankful for your good health and, as a fan, for the fact that we have a team with stable ownership to root for this weekend. That is all, but it is enough.
The gloom among media and many fans this week has been difficult to digest. Miami represents a chance to “get right”. The Dolphins are trying hard to win as players, but the franchise has been accused of actively “tanking” for the future. So in a weird twisted way, this could be characterized as a Trap Game for the Birds. Go into it just a little bit overconfident, and you’re flirting with an amazing thud to the season.
One thing which should help the Eagles offense is getting the right side of the line restored with Brooks and Johnson. This should also free up some more open targets for our tight ends, since less snaps will be spent chipping in to help the right tackle.
Miami is 2-9, and eight of those losses have come by double-digits. In Week 12, the Dolphins lost to the Cleveland Browns, 41-24. After winning back-to-back games at the beginning of November, the Dolphins have lost their past two games by a combined 34 points.
Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick has started at quarterback for the Dolphins for the past six games, and overall, he’s competing 62 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he lit up the Eagles defense for 402 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2.
The Eagles are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after Sunday’s 17-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at the Linc. There are some injury concerns worth monitoring after the Eagles played Sunday essentially without six offensive starters, and the offense has been unimpressive. The defense has rounded into better form over the past two weeks, too.
The Eagles and Dolphins are scheduled to kick off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., at 1 p.m. Sunday on Fox.
“We just need to get a win,” defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. “For us, we’re on the road and this team has lost two weeks in a row, so I know the guys in this locker room will be more focused than ever and we’ve got to go on the road. It’s hard to win in this league. We can’t take anything for granted. We know that they’re professionals. We’re professionals. We know we’re going to get their best ball.”
The Eagles are hopeful that wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor can return to the lineup on Sunday. Coincidentally, the Dolphins are in a similar situation.
The Dolphins found themselves short-handed at wide receiver this past weekend, but they were able to adjust on the fly against the Cleveland Browns. Just the same, they’re confident they’ll find a way to get the passing game moving should Jakeem Grant and/or Albert Wilson have to sit out the game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We’re going to have to do it through a variety of different ways, one being other positions obviously,” offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea said Tuesday morning. “Whether it be the running back position, being creative with the way we’re going to use those guys or the use of the tight end. Mike (Gesicki) has been somebody that’s been productive for us here in recent years. I think it’s going to have to be again by committee.
“We’re going to have to really do a good job of getting some offense and some production from other positions other than the receiver position because right now there’s a potential of maybe being down one less guy or the other. We’ll see how that goes.”
The Dolphins obviously would love to have both Grant and Wilson available against the Eagles, as they represent half of their wide receiver group along with DeVante Parker and Allen Hurns.
Sound familiar?
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