The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of a huge win in Dallas and will look to kick up a hot streak against a Miami Dolphins team who are either very good..or very, very bad on any given Sunday. To do so however, they will need some big performances from a certain few players.
Kiko Alonso
With Jordan Hicks now injured, the stage is set once again for Kiko Alonso. The problem is that Alonso only played 27 defensive snaps against the Cowboys so at the time was either potentially not 100% or not the first option. Now Alonso has to come in, play the majority after coming back from an injury that has kept him sidelined since week 2 just last week and make an impact. Hicks was easily the teams most impactful linebacker until this point but that title before the season could have easily been predicted for Alonso. The Dolphins have allowed 23 sacks this season, the question is can Kiko damage a weak Offensive Line even more?
Byron Maxwell
Maxwell has come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks, single handedly shutting down both Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr when balls were thrown his way. But now his toughest challenge of the season is arguably at hand..and not in terms of receiver pedigree. The Dolphins do everything they can to put the ball in the hands of one of two guys, Jarvis Landry or Rishard Matthews. Combined they have 90 receptions on 127 targets. If Maxwell can shut down one of these guys it’s going to lift a lot of pressure of the backs of the Defense. These two have enjoyed big seasons so far, combining for over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Dolphins are adamant that these are going to be the guys to lead them to a victory..Byron Maxwell is going to need to live up to all the hype to ensure that doesn’t happen.
DeMarco Murray
Everything finally came together for DeMarco Murray against his former team after weeks of steadily improving. He now faces a Dolphins Defense that ranks 31st in the NFL against the rush and has allowed over 1,100 yards. It looks like everything is finally coming together for the Eagles but if DeMarco Murray can run rampant in this new simplified scheme once again then it’s going to open up the passing game massively for Sam Bradford.
