MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins haven’t often had the phrase “potential Super Bowl preview” uttered about any game they’ve played for the better part of the past two decades — maybe never since Dan Marino quarterbacked the franchise.
It’s being said about Sunday night’s Dolphins showdown with the Eagles in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. And it’s no exaggeration. Regardless of this Week 7 result, these two teams could very well meet again.
Every national sports talk show this past week has led with some storyline from this game: Whether the Dolphins are for real after they lost by four touchdowns against the last contender they faced on the road, the Bills. What happened to the Eagles in their upset defeat against the Jets last week? The quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, who have found professional success after competing with each other on the same college team at Alabama. The No. 1 and No. 2 offenses they respectively run. Which team has more to prove at this point?
The game gets the national spotlight Sunday night on NBC. Sure, the Dolphins have had that before, but Week 2 against New England or last year’s games against the Steelers or Chargers weren’t nearly the heavyweight bout this is.
It has as much of a big-game feel a Week 7 NFL game can have. Some say Super Bowl preview. Some say, after the Eagles reached the Super Bowl last season, it’s a measuring stick for the Dolphins to prove they’re in the upper echelon, especially since the combined records of teams they’ve beaten is 5-24. But some may simply say it’s just another regular-season game on the journey.
“I don’t think of it as a Super Bowl preview or anything like that,” said Tagovailoa, who once entered the 2017 college title game for Hurts to lead a comeback win over Georgia, throwing the winning touchdown to current Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith. “I just think that this is another team that we’re preparing for and in order for us to get to where we want to go to, we’ve got to play this game.”
Said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is a Philadelphia-area native and spent time with the Eagles as a consultant last season: “It’s one of 17. It’s no different than our last two games (Giants and Panthers) in that it’s an NFC opponent. So, the weight on the schedule and standings is the same. It just happens to be played on a bigger stage on Sunday night. But in the final analysis, it’s game 7 of 17.”
Linebacker Jerome Baker started by keeping that message consistent, but he had to give in.
“It’s our next game, but let’s be real here. We’re 5-1. They’re 5-1,” he said. “This is a great test for us to see where we stack up against other great teams in this league. If we want to accomplish the things we want to accomplish, we’re going to have to face some good teams.
“Is it a measuring stick game? Yeah, I guess you could say that. Is it a game that we must win? Yeah, you can say that only because it’s the next game we have. It’s going to be a good one Sunday.”
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, on pace for more than 2,000 yards, has been in his share of meaningful games and knows to keep things in perspective.
“It’s just the next opponent,” he said. “We’re just going to treat it like any other opponent. We’re going to go in there and play hard and do what we have to do to win.”
Dolphins players will get to take in one of the more hostile environments in professional football with the Philadelphia fan base known to be rabid.
“You hear so much about the Philly fans, the atmosphere, all that good stuff,” defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said. “That’s just football, and I can respect fan bases and different things like that, that other places may have going on. That’s what makes it all fun, the passion.”
On the field, a high-scoring affair could break out between the league’s top two offenses. Each team could take advantage of the other through the air. Tagovailoa throwing to Hill and Jaylen Waddle should be able to function against an Eagles secondary that has been devastated by injury but is getting cornerback Darius Slay back. The same can be said about Hurts throwing to Philadelphia’s size-speed receiving tandem of A.J. Brown and Smith against Miami defensive backs that still won’t have Jalen Ramsey back, although he has begun practicing this week, and has fellow cornerback Xavien Howard questionable with a groin injury.
It’s also the No. 1 and 2 run games squaring off, but both defensive fronts are prideful in stopping the run. Dolphins center Connor Williams’ availability could be a major factor in the trenches, and the Eagles’ offensive line is among the league’s best with right tackle Lane Johnson and center Jason Kelce leading it.
For as big as this one is — or may feel — it might not even be the biggest Dolphins game in the next 15 days. Two weeks after facing last year’s Super Bowl runner-up, Miami takes on the defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Germany. And if Miami is to make its matchup against Philadelphia a Super Bowl preview, attaining home-field advantage in the AFC over the Chiefs could be the key.