Miami Dolphins 37, Philadelphia Eagles 31 — as it happened
Follow along for all the big plays, scores, injuries and more from the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 12 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Well, that was not how the Eagles drew it up.
As the clock hit zero in Miami, quarterback Carson Wentz slung a Hail Mary pass that was intercepted in the end zone. Cue the Dolphins celebration. It was a fitting end to a sloppy, uninspired loss, which quickly turned from an unexpected shootout to a one-sided Dolphins show in the second half.
With their third-straight loss, the Eagles fall to 5-7 and hand the Dolphins just their third win of the season. The Eagles return to Philadelphia to take on the 2-10 Giants at home next Monday, before facing the 3-9 Redskins, the 6-6 Cowboys, and the Giants again on the road.
Despite the embarrassing loss, the Eagles remain just one game behind the Cowboys, which lost to the Bills on Thursday, in the NFC East.
Eagles settle for a field goal, trail by six
After a sloppy 56-yard drive for the Eagles, Jake Elliott makes a 37-yard field goal to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 37-31 with less than two minutes and one Eagles timeout remaining.
Dolphins extend lead
With a 51-yard field goal off the foot of Jason Sanders, Miami takes a nine-point lead into the final 3:37 of the game. Eagles would have to do a lot in these final minutes to mount a comeback, and even that might not be enough.
The Dolphins offense has exhausted the Eagles defense, which was on the field for nearly six minutes on the field-goal drive. Since the middle of the third quarter, Miami has scored 23 unanswered points.
Miami grabs fourth-quarter lead
Dolphins running back Patrick Laird gets his first career touchdown on a 4-yard run, and then catches a short pass from Fitzpatrick to make for a successful two-point conversion. After the nine-play, 96-yard scoring drive, Miami leads by six with 11 minutes left in the game.
Yes, the 2-9 Dolphins have been able to score five touchdowns against the usually stout Eagles defense.
Dolphins’ TD, caught by a Philly-area native, makes it a two-point game
Miami scores on a 14-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Penn State product and South Jersey native Mike Gesicki, the high school volleyball and basketball player who jumped above Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills to make the catch in the right corner of the end zone.
But Fitzpatrick is sacked on the two-point conversion attempt, keeping the Dolphins from tying the game. Fitzpatrick has gone 17-of-23 for 239 yards.
Jake Elliott misses first field-goal attempt this season
After Carson Wentz is sacked on third down, Elliott’s 49-yard field-goal attempt goes wide left. Before the miss, the kicker had been 16-of-16 this season.
The Dolphins get the ball at their own 30-yard line, their best field position of the day.
Dolphins encroach on Eagles’ lead
Uncharacteristically, the Eagles defense is struggling to contain the Dolphins attack.
Ryan Fitzpatrick responds to the Eagles’ back-to-back touchdowns and finds DeVante Parker for a 17-yard touchdown pass on first-and-10. The extra point veered wide right, so the Eagles hold onto an eight-point lead.
Eagles start second half with a touchdown drive
Carson Wentz connects with Alshon Jeffery on a 10-yard touchdown pass on the first possession of the second half. With the extra point, the Eagles take a 14-point lead.
Jeffery has caught 5-of-7 passes for 68 yards so far today. The receiver returns to the field after an ankle injury that sidelined him for the past two games.
Eagles score, convert 2-point conversion to end the half
In the waning seconds of the first half, Eagles wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside scores his first NFL touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Carson Wentz. The quarterback went on to make the two-point conversion on a 6-yard pass to Nelson Agholor. They head into halftime with a seven-point lead after the 12-play, 75-yard drive.
Dolphins take the lead after trick play
After an impressive goal line stand by the Eagles defense, they were once again unable to stop a trick play, this time a fourth-down field-goal fake that ended with a pass from the punter to the kicker. The extra point gives Miami a one-point lead with less than five minutes left in the half.
Numbers from the go-ahead scoring drive: 13 plays. 75 yards. Six minutes and 29 seconds.
Another Eagles field goal makes it a 6-point game
After Jason Peters is called for a false start on fourth-and-2, Jake Elliott splits the uprights on a 43-yard field goal to put the Eagles ahead 13-7 in the second quarter. For those keeping track at home, he’s now 16-of-16 on the season.
Dolphins find the end zone on fourth down
Ryan Fitzpatrick connects with the dynamic DeVante Parker on a beautiful 43-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-4. PAT is good, and Miami makes it a 10-7 game after the six-play, 84-yard drive.
At the end of the first quarter, 43 of the Dolphins’ 80 total yards came on that one play, and Parker had exceeded his previous career high of 744 yards.
Penalties stall Eagles’ drive
Midway through the first quarter, two Eagles’ gains were called back for penalties on the same drive. The first was an 8-yard Jay Ayaji run up the middle that was negated by an Isaac Seumalo holding call, and the second was an 11-yard pass to Nelson Agholor that was called back on an illegal blocking call on Mack Hollins.
Field goal widens Eagles’ early lead
Jake Elliott nails a 48-yard field goal to put the Eagles up 10-0 in the first quarter. He is a perfect 15-of-15 on field goal attempts this season.
Eagles take lead with a Miles Sanders touchdown
Well, that was quick. After a turnover on the Dolphins’ first play, it took only three plays for the Eagles to score on a 15-yard pass from Carson Wentz to running back Miles Sanders. Jake Elliott made the extra point, and Philly takes an early 7-0 lead.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s first pass intercepted
On the first play from scrimmage, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass was intercepted by Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, and the Eagles will take over at Miami’s 18-yard line. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was shaken up on the play but walked off under his own power.
Welcome to the blog
Good afternoon, Eagles fans, and thanks for tuning into the live blog on this dreary, post-Thanksgiving Sunday. Feels like an ideal day to hunker down on the couch and watch some football.
As you likely already know, the 5-6 Eagles are down in sunny Florida to take on the lousy 2-9 Dolphins at 1 p.m. It’s a matchup the Eagles, despite all their offensive flaws, should win. While running back Jordan Howard has been ruled out for the third straight game with a shoulder injury, expect to see the return of the right side of the offensive line. Tackle Lane Johnson has cleared concussion protocol and guard Brandon Brooks has battled back from the severe anxiety that sidelined him last week. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Ertz, who hurt his hamstring last week, are also active.
As for the defense ... well, they’ve been carrying the team lately, and the Dolphins’ lackluster offense shouldn’t be too difficult for them to contain.
Pre-game stories of interest
Read up on the numbers that are going to matter most in this game thanks to a trusty compilation from Paul Domowitch.
Our Eagles’ beat writers make their predictions this week, and all of them are betting on the Eagles to pull out a win over a bad Miami team.
Les Bowen dives into the Eagles’ mighty wide receiver struggles and finds it’s more than just injuries that are hurting this unit.
Les Bowen also has the latest injury update, which includes the healthy scratch of cornerback Sidney Jones.
Columnist Bob Ford writes that a win on Sunday isn’t guaranteed with this Eagles squad.