Injuries Could Cost Philadelphia Eagles vs Miami Dolphins

Dan Favale
By , Updated on: Apr 9, 2024 08:00 PM
Injuries Could Cost Philadelphia Eagles vs Miami Dolphins

The Philadelphia Eagles opened up the 2023 NFL season by ripping off five straight victories. Then, in Week 6, they fell to the lowly New York Jets. They now look to get back on track in their Week 7 matchup vs the Miami Dolphins, in the NFL Sunday Night Football showcase, on October 22 at 8:25 p.m. eastern standard time, on Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Going from a Week 6 letdown to facing the explosive Dolphins offense is far from an easy task. However, the latest NFL online betting odds for Philadelphia vs. Miami are giving the benefit of the doubt to the reigning NFC Champion Eagles:

FavoriteBetOnlineBetOnlineUnderdog
New Orleans Saints-132+112Jacksonville Jaguars

Please remember to double-check these online NFL betting odds until you have actually submitted your wagers. Our Eagles vs. Dolphins Week 7 betting odds are accurate as of Tuesday, October 17. This gives the best NFL online betting sites plenty of time to implement any adjustments based upon market shifts in the lead-up to kick-off on Sunday night.

More than many other games on the NFL Week 7 schedule, we could see there being some 11th-hour movement within the Eagles vs. Dolphins betting lines. After dealing with great health last season en route to the Super Bowl, Philadelphia now finds themselves fairly banged up. And while they’re clearly not in terrible enough shape for online NFL betting sites to treat them as underdogs, should you be so keen to invest in their emerging from this Week 7 showdown with the Dolphins victorious? We’re here to answer this very question.

Injuries are Starting to Become a Concern for the Philadelphia Eagles—And It Matters

Philadelphia mustered a season-low 14 points against the Jets in Week 6. And though their defense largely held serve, going up against opposing quarterback Zach Wilson had a lot to do with it. In fact, with the exception of facing Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, the Eagles have not really been tested through the air. They did square off against Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams in a Week 5 victory in which they allowed just 14 points, but even then, surrendered nearly 300 total passing yards. 

Regardless, this week’s Eagles team isn’t nearly as healthy as they were in Week 5, let alone Week 2. And it’s costing them ground in the race to win Super Bowl LVIII. As Tim MacManus wrote for ESPN:

“The defending NFC champions had good health through most of the 2022 season, with all 22 original starters playing in Super Bowl LVII. This season is taking on a different shape. Only one member of the starting secondary, James Bradberry, was on the field for the finish of Sunday's game against the Jets, and the offense took a massive hit when right tackle Lane Johnson exited with a right ankle injury. It's possible Philly's health will improve as the playoffs near, but it's going to be a bumpier ride.”

Philadelphia might be able to get without their starting right tackle. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is incredibly mobile, and the offensive line has talent to spare. The injuries in the secondary are a different concern altogether.

Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami enters Week 7 with the NFL’s best passing offense. The Dolphins rank first in total passing yards, total net yards per passing attempt and total passing touchdowns. They are also first in total points scored per game. As if that’s not enough, Miami is also first in total rushing yards gained per attempt and total rushing touchdowns. So, even if the Eagles elect to protect the middle of the field and further out, they will still be vulnerable coming out of the Dolphins backfield. 

Predicting an upset in this game is ambitious. The Eagles have yet to lose at home this season, and the last time Miami went up against a top-shelf defense, in the Buffalo Bills, they mustered just 20 points. But we’re picking the Dolphins to beat Philadelphia anyway. The Eagles offense hasn’t been nearly good enough over the past two weeks, and Miami has tightened up some of their own defense concerns. 

OSB Prediction: Miami Dolphins (+130)

Miami Dolphins To beat the Philadelphia Eagles
+130
BetOnline

Is It Safer to Bet on the Miami Dolphins to Cover the Point Spread in Philadelphia?

Let’s answer this question in one word: No. The latest Dolphins vs. Eagles point spread betting lines aren’t decided enough to tried hedging your bets, as you can see below:

  • Philadelphia Eagles, -2 (-110)
  • Miami Dolphins, +2 (-110)

Indeed, we are fully aware this matchup could turn into a score-for-score battle. For as much as the Dolphins defense has tightened up the past couple of weeks, they’ve also only had to face the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers—two unspectacular teams. 

But a high-scoring affair ultimately favors the Dolphins in a big way. Philadelphia is middle-of-the-road when it comes to moving the chains through the air. Hurts is averaging a good amount of yards per completion, but the Eagles are also inside the bottom six of interceptions thrown. 

Bake in all the injuries Philly is dealing with on the defensive end, and we’d honestly expect the Dolphins to win this by more than a field. Rather than try to earn the backdoor victory and a -110 payout, we’d risk the money. With that said, if you can parlay both, we’re all for it.

OSB Prediction: Miami Dolphins, +2 (-110)

Los Angeles Rams To cover the point spread against the Arizona Cardinals
-110
BetOnline

Defense Doesn’t Seem Like It Will Shine in Miami vs. Philadelphia 

We aren’t the only ones bracing for an offense-first showdown between the Eagles and Dolphins. The latest NFL over/under betting odds for Week 7 are right there with us:

  • Over 51.5 (-110)
  • Under 51.5 (-110)

On the surface, this seems ambitious. It might not be. 

The Dolphins are averaging 37.2 points per game on their own. And if you filter out their 20-point flub against the Bills, they’re at basically 40 points per game. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles have failed to eclipse 23 points over the past two outings. They’ve also tallied more than 25 points just twice this season. But Philadelphia has also seldom faced a passing defense as friendly as the one fielded by Miami. 

Quite frankly, regardless of who wins, we wouldn’t be surprised if both the Dolphins and Eagles notched more than 30 points apiece.

OSB Prediction: Over 51.5 (-110)

Eagles and Dolphins To score over 51.5 combined points
-110
BetOnline

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your 2023 NFL betting:

Meet the author

Dan Favale

Dan Favale leverages over 12 years of sports journalism expertise in his role as New York staff writer. He provides in-depth analysis across the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, tennis, NASCAR, college basketball, and sports betting. Dan co-hosts the popular Hardwood Knocks NBA podc...

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