SORRY, Charlie!

EAGLES 31 – Dolphins 17 

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (23-/31 – 74.1 – 279 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: RB D’Andre Swift (15 – 62 – 4.1 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (15 – 10 – 137 – 13.7 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (TFL: 4/ Sacks: 3(FL)/ Scrums Won: 4/ Scrums Lost: 0)

Drive Killer: CB Darius Slay (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4^th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: N/A

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I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: DOLPHINS  did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run the Ball: I said 25 handoffs, we had 23. I said hand it off to D’Andre Swift 12 or more times, he got 15. Close enough. Bulls-eye. I’ll take it! Even RB Kenneth Gainwell (8 – 16 – 2.0 – 1 – 0) got in on the action, with a twisting, turning 3 yard touchdown run. This game featured some of the toughest running I’ve ever seen from Gainwell.

I hated that Hurts ran it 11 times, but I’m guessing the coaching staff will call his number a little less next week; with him wearing a knee brace, and sporting a slight gingerness to his gait. They’re either going to have to realize that he’s not a RB, or we’re going to get an extended look at back-up QB Marcus Mariota. Soon! (DONE)

2) Set the Edges: The Eagles did a great job of this in the first half, as OLB Haason Reddick (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) was having none of it! Then in the second half, on back to back runs, they let the Dolphins get to the perimeter. After that, the Defense got their run game corralled, and limited the NFL’s #1 rushing attack, to 45 yards all night. (DONE)

3) Redirect to the No Fly Zone: Absolutely none of this was done. Dolphins receivers got free release, after free release, after free release all night. Often it looked like a game of pitch and catch out there. This is not playoff level coverage. (NOT DONE)

4) Throw Some Uppercuts: We didn’t work that area, so Swift didn’t have a whole lot of room inside, like he did early in the year, before WR Quez Watkins went on Injured Reserve.

However, to continue borrowing from the boxing vernacular; instead of uppercuts, we threw a few kidney punches, involving TE Dallas Goedert (5 – 5 – 77 – 15.4 – 1) early. Kidney punches are illegal in boxing, but if you’ve been hit with one, that hit can’t be taken back. The damage is done, and a fighter will watch out for it.

Once Goedert became a threat, and since we stuck to the run, it let A.J. Brown run his routes easier, essentially headhunting. When Hurts hit Brown with that 42 strike in the fourth quarter, that was basically the knockout punch; leaving Miami to search for the softest part of the mat to land on. So no uppercut, but still a great tactic. (NOT DONE)

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This week we got 2 of Four Things done, which would usually indicate a closer score, but their penalties (10/70), and some timely plays on Defense really moved the needle in this one. Next week, we grab our brooms and head south on 95, to wrap-up the Washington Commanders.

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Game Hero: CB Darius Slay – The Eagles were nursing a 7 point lead and Miami had the ball. After driving 45 yards on seven plays, Miami heaved the ball toward the endzone, to their RB mismatched with LB Zach Cunningham (1 – 0.0 – 0 – 0). Slay read the ball and peeled off of his man, to go make a touchdown saving interception.

Instead of them tying the game, our lead was preserved, and our Offense went down and scored; leaving 4:46 in the game, for Miami to try and score twice. The Fish would instead turn the ball over on downs. Without Slay’s Big Play, Miami scores and the entire complexion of the game changes. We might even be 5 – 2 right now.

Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – Most will sing his praises due to him playing through a knee issue. I on the other hand, see a quarterback who is rapidly turning into a turnover machine. We give Cowboys fans shit about QB Dak Prescott. We roasted giants fans over QB Eli Manning. Fellow fans, it’s time for us, to tell it like it actually is.

Seven of the Dolphins seventeen points came directly off of Hurts hand. You can call it a fluke play if you like. Except, he had a similar fluke play happen just last week. It’s not a fluke it it’s weekly! And of course there was his fumble that led to a Dolphins field goal. Meaning that Hurts helped contribute 10 points to the opponent in this one.

On The Whole:

“Oh no! The Dolphins Offense is so fast!”

“Oh no! They put 70 on Denver!”

“Oh no! So may weapons!

As I said in Four Things: “They’re very fast and very flashy, but this is football, not a dance contest. All the action starts up-front, in the trenches. We are built for trench warfare. Miami is not.”

The result, all their speed accounted for just one touchdown all night. One. After all, we are not Denver. We have a few weapons too, and some of them are also pretty damned fast. Every media pundit talking like our season was over at 5 – 1. The disrespect was stifling. And all Miami’s vaunted offense managed was a weak 6 points. The rest was off of defense or toes.

Also let me say this, we got a guy out there who contributes to a 6 – 1 unit, and helped keep a game close last week, despite four turnovers. The guy I’m talking about, is S Terrell Edmunds (9 – 0.0 – 0 – 0). He has played every defensive snap, of each of the last three games he’s played in. Give the man some credit.

Hey! Did you notice when rookie OLB Nolan Smith (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) broke his cherry and got his first NFL sack? Or rookie CB Eli Ricks (1 PBU) broke up a pass on Miami’s final fourth down? Or (not rookie) WR Julio Jones (1 – 1 – 3 – 3.0 – 0) catch his first pass as an Eagle, and how the crowd welcomed him? Great stuff!

Now I want to take a minute to address the Kelly Green jerseys. They were SWANKY!

Do you realize that back when the Eagle wore those, our Offensive Line was never very good? In this game, we finally got to see Kelly Green jerseys on the best O-Line in football.

Also, it felt good to see Julio Jones wearing an 80 number as a WR. Most of our receivers look like Quarterbacks, Punters and Kickers out there. Same with Defensive backs and now Linebackers. It’s a holdover from college, which mentally leads pros, (read: grown men) in the wrong direction. I’m not a fan of that. (To put it mildly.)

Watching those green jerseys terrorize a QB, took me back. Every time they got him on the ground, I had thoughts of Reggie and Clyde; Jerome and the Mikes; Harmon and Fuller. Rhett Hall and those damned blood clots…

I felt the age of my fanhood, and the distance traveled. Super Bowls. Brotherly Shove. Philly Philly. Smoothies. The time is your’s. For who? For what? I’ll be back, scramblin’. They’ll have to be carted off in body bags… Decades distilled into a color.

It was a good win. Buddy would have been proud.

Now let’s go cave Washington’s chest in.