Can Miami Underdogs Rally Against Eagles In Week 10?
By Abraham Gutierrez
With no time to feel sorry for themselves, the (3-5) Miami Dolphins prepare to travel to the City of Brotherly Love for a Week 10 meeting with the (4-4) Philadelphia Eagles. Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be filled to capacity to see if the home team can hand the visiting Fins their third straight loss.
Opening kickoff is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast live on CBS Sports. This will only mark the 14th time these teams have crossed paths, including the postseason, as the Dolphins come in leading the series by the narrowest of margins, holding on to a 7-6-0 edge.
However, it has been one-way traffic the last handful of times Miami and Philly have met between the lines. Recent history shows that the Eagles come in riding a three-game win streak, and have beaten the Fins in four of their last five meetings overall.
Philadelphia Eagles 2015 NFL Season Record
Life in the NFL is never easy, and for Chip Kelly and the Eagles, things have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride in 2015. Nevertheless, Philadelphia has done a decent job of staying afloat in one of the weakest divisions in football, as the NFC East is sure to come down to the wire.
Through eight games, the Eagles are at .500 on the season, as they come into Week 10 with a 2-1 record at home and are 1-0 versus non-conference adversaries. This team is also 3-2 in their last five games played, which has them sitting in second place in the NFC East, as they look to overtake the division-leading (5-4) New York Giants.
Eagles On Offense
The Eagles offensive coordinator is Pat Shurmur, who has been running Kelly's offense since 2013. This season, Shurmur's play-action offense ranks among the best in the National Football League, but it has yet to really hit its stride.
Coming into Week 10, the Eagles offense is 10th in the league in both rushing yards per game (121.6) and in the total yards category (366.4). In the other two areas, Philly's attack is 13th in points per game (24.1) and 18th passing yards per contest (244.8).
Eagles On Defense
Defensively, the Eagles DC is Bill Davis, who also became an Eagles when Kelly made the transition from the college rankings. Needless to say, it has been a struggle for this defense to get anything going on a consistent basis, as they enter Week 10 ranked 20th in total yards (266.8) and passing yards allowed (253.9), 21st at stopping the run (112.9) and their best area is in points allowed, where they average 20.5 points per game, which is good enough for 10th in the National Football League.
Eagles Players To Watch
On the offensive side of the rock, the Eagles bring a pair of running backs that are sure to test the Raiders defense. First and second-string halfbacks DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews have proven to be a great one-two punch in Kelly's scheme. The former Cowboy leads the team in rushing with 390 yards on 106 carries (4 TD), while the former Charger has tallied 409 yards on 67 carries, and has also found the end zone four times on the year.
Defensively, Ryan Tannehill and the Miami offense will have to prepare for a three-headed monster that loves to create chaos with its pass rush. The trio of defensive end Fletcher Cox (26 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles), and outside linebackers Brandon Graham (31 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles) and Connor Barwin (21 tackles, 3 sacks) are sure to make for a long afternoon for the Fins' O-line.
Dolphins vs. Eagles 2015 NFL Week 10 Point Spreads
After a pair of lackluster performances, the Fins are getting no love from NFL point spread specialists prior to their Week 10 showdown in Philly. As of Tuesday morning, the Miami Dolphins [+7] are considered seven-point underdogs on the road against the hosting Philadelphia Eagles [-7] and the OVER/UNDER is set at a combined total of 47 points.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.