Eagles vs. Dolphins Game Recap

The Eagles face the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in the preseason finale. Here’s what’s happened:

No Eagles starters dressed for Saturday night’s competition. Instead, the final preseason game will be reliant on players battling for jobs. The first team got meaningful reps against Miami on Wednesday in their sole joint affair, then hosted an intrateam practice at the Dolphins’ facility Thursday after Miami dealt with a non-COVID illness.

• The Miami Dolphins opened the game with the ball on offense and fielded starters QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill; they connected for 64 yards in the first two plays of the game.

• The Eagles’ second-team defense wasn’t able to stop Miami’s play-action bootleg – Miami put the first points on the board in 4 plays. Wide receiver River Cracraft caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa. The Dolphins finished with an extra point from kicker Jason Sanders to make it 7-0 with 12:55 remaining in the first quarter.

• Gardner Minshew started at quarterback and led the Eagles’ first drive of the game, but wasn’t able to produce any points. Minshew went 4-for-5 and 34 yards in the offense’s first possession. The drive ended when Kenneth Gainwell fell just short of a first down at the Miami 41-yard line on a fourth-and-1.

• Linebacker Patrick Johnson sacked Tagovailoa at the Philadelphia 37-yard line for a loss of 7 yards on Miami’s second possession. The Eagles’ defense forced another Sanders field goal – this time from 55 yards out; Miami increased its lead to 10-0 with 8:37 remaining in the quarter.

• Dolphins continued with their starters through the first quarter; they marched down for another touchdown in 4 plays on a 9-play, 88-yard drive completed with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Sony Michel.

• Reid Sinnett replaced Gardner Minshew with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter; he connected with tight end Grant Calcaterra, catching his first pass as an Eagle. The sixth-round draft pick from Southern Methodist University was sidelined with a hamstring injury during the first two preseason outings.