The Miami Dolphins are good. They're not great yet.
The Philadelphia Eagles might not be great yet this season either, but they're on a different tier than Miami. The Eagles made the plays they needed to Sunday, with many of them coming from receiver A.J. Brown, and the Eagles won 31-17 in a battle of teams that were 5-1 coming in.
We know what to expect from the Eagles, though it has been tougher than necessary at times this season. Philadelphia is a Super Bowl contender, despite some of its early struggles. Miami is still an unknown with a growing reputation: The Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can stack up oodles of yards and points against terrible defenses, but they're not yet ready to do that against a contender. And perhaps that means they're not contenders themselves.
Hurts, Brown and the Eagles have higher goals than just individual success, and a win over one of the AFC's best teams is one way to make a statement. Philadelphia moves to 6-1, while the Dolphins miss a chance to open up a two-game lead in the AFC East and fall to 5-2 ahead of a matchup with the Patriots.
The Dolphins will be without starting cornerback Xavien Howard and starting center Connor Williams who were limited in practice this week with a groin injuries.
The Dolphins were missing injured left tackle Terron Armstead and injured cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey, who total 14 Pro Bowls.
Miami also began with game without top rookie running back De'Von Achane and Pro Bowl caliber-center Connor Williams.
Then, during the game, Miami receiver Jaylen Waddle was sidelined with a back injury and left guard Isaiah Wynn left the game with a quad injury. Waddle later returned; Wynn did not.
Miami is a talented, fun team that could continue to get better as the season goes on. It's just not quite on the same plane as the elite teams yet, as Miami's two losses have shown. The Dolphins face the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany in two weeks. We'll see if they make any progress before then.
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