Doug Pederson calls Dolphins 'a good football team' after embarrassing Eagles loss

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
Updated

No one was more thankful for the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day loss than Philadelphia Eagles fans. With the Eagles sitting at 5-6, all the team needed to do was beat the Miami Dolphins to move into a tie for first place in the NFC East.

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On paper, that seemed like an easy task. At 2-9, the Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in football. Eagles fans must have felt confident about their team’s chances.

Since this is the Eagles we’re talking about, you already know what happened. The Eagles suffered an embarrassing 37-31 loss to the Dolphins in Week 13.

While the Eagles offense has been scrutinized in recent weeks, it wasn’t the issue in this game. Carson Wentz threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Alshon Jeffery added nine receptions for 137 yards and a score.

Instead, it was the Eagles’ defense that let them down. The Dolphins offense moved the ball at will. Ryan Fitzpatrick matched Wentz with three touchdowns. DeVante Parker could not be covered. He exploded for seven receptions, 159 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

After a brutal start to the year, the Dolphins have been playing competent football lately. The team has gone 3-2 over its past five games. Miami started the season 0-7.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson agrees. Following the loss, Pederson called the Dolphins a “good football team.”

Parker has been a big part of that. The 26-year-old has put up excellent numbers over his past three games. In Week 11, Parker hauled in seven passes for 135 yards. In Week 12, he went for 91 yards on six catches.

For the Eagles, the loss puts their playoff hopes in a dire spot. At 5-7, the team isn’t completely out of it, but the Eagles have some work to do. With the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings sitting pretty in the wild-card hunt, the Eagles may have to put their hopes on overthrowing the Cowboys for the division.

The Eagles will at least get another chance to close that gap. The two teams play each other again in Week 16.

Depending on how things go the next few weeks, that game could determine the NFC East.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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