The Numbers Behind Miami’s Primetime Letdown
Oct 22, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) meet on the field after Eagles win at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Leading up to their prime time game with the Eagles most of the talk surrounded Tua and Jalen Hurts facing off for the first time. While both quarterbacks had moments, the story of the game was the futile results by powerful Dolphins offense.
Below are some of the numbers that tell the story of the rough loss.
-7 – Miami rushed for -7 yards in the first half.
12 – The Dolphins attempted only 12 rushing attempts in the entire game.
45– Miami held to only 45 yards rushing which is a devastating 136.8 yards less than their season average of 181.8.
10 – Missing Xavien Howard forced Kader Kohou to play on the outside where he generally struggles. Matching up with AJ Brown, Kader and his teammates allowed 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown.
2 – Two sacks from a steadily improving Bradley Chubb.
2.9 – Philadelphia averaged 2.9 yards per carry while finishing with just under 100 yards total.
244 – The Eagles held Miami to a mere 244 total yards, far below their average of 505.7.
1 – Jerome Baker’s interception and return for a touchdown is the one and only defense score on the season.
20 – The Dolphins struggled their way to 17 points which is 20 less than their season average of 37.2.
10 – There were 10 penalties called on Miami. 0 were called on the Eagles. This is the first game of the 2023 season where a team had 0 penalties called against them.
100% – Philadelphia was 4/4 on fourth down conversions keeping the Miami defense on the field in situations when they desperately needed off.
13:26 – The difference in time of possession with the Eagles controlling the clock for 36:43 of the game.
While the score ended at 31-17, for the majority of the game it felt much closer with the Dolphins having severa opportunities to tie the game. The defensive side played a tough, physical game and relatively held the physical smash-mouth style run attack of the Eagles at bay.
Now having failed both challenges against top NFL teams Miami has a lot of questions they will have to answer if they intend compete when games matter the most. Coach McDaniel has this young team headed in the right direction, but Sunday night proved they’re just not fully there, YET.
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