NFL Game of the Week: Dolphins vs. Eagles

Not too long ago, Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa were teammates at Alabama, with the former starting and the latter in the backup role.

In the 2018 College Football National Championship, the roles were swapped as Jalen Hurts’s first-half struggles prompted head coach Nick Saban to insert the highly touted freshman Tagovailoa into the game plan in the second half.

Tua would then go on to lead the Crimson Tide to a National Championship, but that was then and this is now.

Jalen Hurts re-cemented himself as a premier quarterback last season with the Philadelphia Eagles as he was a heavy contender for the MVP award.

This season, his former understudy in Tagovailoa is at the forefront of MVP conversations as well and he’s been filling up the stat sheet on a consistent basis and leading one of the most dangerous offenses the league has seen in years.

The two will face off this Sunday in a matchup that is sure to produce fireworks, but while the attention will certainly be focused on these two star quarterbacks, they are not the only elite contributors on their respective teams.

Viewers will also get to witness a battle between two of the league’s very best receivers in A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill of Philadelphia and Miami respectively.

Hill leads the league in receiving yards, already amassing 814 through just six games, but Brown isn’t far behind.

In his second year with the Eagles, the former Tennessee Titans standout is second in receiving yards with 672.

These potent offenses will also display two running backs who are experiencing career resurgences in Miami’s Raheem Mostert and Philadelphia’s D’Andre Swift, who has finally begun to realize his potential in his first season away from the Detroit Lions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles have struggled in the secondary, but their defensive line is as good as ever.

At the core of this front is rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter who, as many expected, has looked like an absolute steal in the draft for someone who was selected at the ninth spot this past April.

Last year’s team leader in sacks, Haason Reddick has begun to come alive once again, totaling five and a half sacks in his past 3 games.

Unlike the Eagles, the Dolphins have had some heavy struggles at all levels of their defense, but still boast big names in Xavien Howard, Jevon Holland, Christian Wilkins and their pass-rushing duo of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips who are in for a tough matchup against the Eagles fully healthy offensive line.

One of the most highly anticipated games of the year so far, this matchup should be explosive and exciting on both sides of the ball from start to finish.

Jakob Schnur is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.