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Eagles vs. Dolphins predictions: Expert picks for Week 7 Sunday Night Football

The Birds will host Miami as they look to bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates a touchdown with center Jason Kelce. How will the Eagles respond to their first loss of the season?
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates a touchdown with center Jason Kelce. How will the Eagles respond to their first loss of the season?Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

On Sunday night, in front of the customary raucous crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles will wear their new throwback kelly green uniforms for the first time. They’ll also face their toughest test of the season in the Miami Dolphins.

The 5-1 Dolphins have been dominating lesser teams — and their only loss this season came at the hands of a Super Bowl hopeful in the Buffalo Bills — and their offense has been scoring at a near-record pace, averaging 37.2 points. They’re also currently on pace to break the record for yards per game, currently averaging 499 yards. Needless to say, both of those numbers are tops in the NFL this season.

That’s a big ask for a banged-up Eagles secondary that seems to lose a new player to injury every week. And the Dolphins don’t just beat you over the top in the passing game with Tyreek Hill and league-best 9.2 net yards per attempt — they also lead the NFL with 6.5 yards per attempt on the ground.

» READ MORE: Eagles missing 2 key DBs vs. Dolphins, but Darius Slay, Sydney Brown, Jalen Carter are expected to return

Their defense, on the other hand, is in the bottom half of the league, so this one could become a shootout under the lights as Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense looks to keep pace with the high-octane Dolphins. That’s how sports books see it playing out, with FanDuel having the Eagles listed as a 2.5-point home favorite and offering a 51.5-point total for this Sunday Night Football matchup.

But how to the experts in the local and national media see this playing out? After an overwhelmingly Eagles-heavy slant the first month and a half of the season, things changed considerably this week ...

Inquirer beat writer predictions

For the first time all season, multiple Inquirer Eagles writers are picking against the Birds. We’re not going to spoil that here, you’ll have to click over to find out. What we will tell you is that Josh Tolentino is picking the Eagles to win. Here’s some of his reasoning:

It’s worth noting the Dolphins have played only one team with a winning record: the Buffalo Bills. During that contest, the Bills flattened the Dolphins with a 48-20 victory in Buffalo. Meanwhile, all five of their victories have come against opponents — Chargers, Patriots, Broncos, Giants, and Panthers — with losing records at a combined 5-24 mark. ... With Hurts under center, the Eagles haven’t lost back-to-back games since Weeks 6 and 7 of the 2021 season — exactly two years ago. The team has won plenty during that span, and Hurts, of all people involved, will be motivated to rebound from his three-interception outing.
Prediction: Eagles 33, Dolphins 31
Josh Tolentino

For the rest of his prediction — and to see who is picking against the Eagles — check out our full Week 7 picks here.

National media predictions

Here’s what those around the country think about the Eagles’ chances to beat the Dolphins in prime time ...

  1. ESPN.com: Five of their nine experts are predicting an Eagles’ win on Sunday night.

  2. NFL.com: Just two of their five NFL editors picking the Birds, but they all see a close game.

  3. CBS Sports: It’s an even split, with four taking the Eagles and four taking the Dolphins, the exact same breakdown as they have against the spread.

  4. Sports Illustrated: Four of seven MMQB writers think the Eagles will win.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts isn’t the only Eagles QB with ties to Tua Tagovailoa, who grew up idolizing Marcus Mariota

  1. The Ringer: The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia makes his picks against the spread. This week, he’s backing the Birds to win and cover.

  2. Yahoo Sports: Frank Schwab also picks against the spread, and this week he’s taking the Dolphins and the points.

  3. The Athletic: Just five of their 11 writers are picking the Eagles to win.

  4. USA TODAY: Four of their eight football writers are taking the Birds.

» READ MORE: ‘Couldn’t hear my thoughts’: Eagles’ Terrell Edmunds had a ball watching the Phillies for his first MLB game

  1. Pro Football Talk: Mike Florio is picking the Eagles. Chris Simms is picking the Dolphins. But they both see a tight game.

  2. Bleacher Report: Their consensus pick is a Dolphins win, with five of their seven writers picking Miami on the road.

  3. Sporting News: Bill Bender has the Birds winning on Sunday night — while Vinnie Iyer, who picks against the spread, has them winning and covering.

Local media predictions

Let’s take a look at who some local writers are picking to win ...

  1. PhillyVoice: Four of their five writers are picking against the Eagles, with beat writer Jimmy Kempski the only one backing the home team.

  2. Bleeding Green Nation: The typically Eagles-heavy slate is a bit more balanced this week, with five of their nine writers picking the Birds.

  3. South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Four of their six writers are taking the Eagles.

  4. Delaware Online: Ten of their 11 prognosticators are predicting the Birds win on Sunday.