Eagles vs. Dolphins 2015: Reasons why Miami will lose

The Philadelphia Eagles (4-4) are set to continue their 2015 NFL season schedule on Sunday with a game against the Miami Dolphins (3-5). This game features two teams from different conferences that have both been inconsistent this season.

Today we're going to look at why a Dolphins writer thinks the Eagles might win this game. This format forces us to consider each team's weaknesses, rather than just think of why each team is awesome.

So here's why Miami will lose, as written by Dolphins writer Kevin Nogle. Check out The Phinsider to see reasons why I think the Eagles could lose.

Why The Dolphins Will Lose

Offense

The Dolphins cannot decide what they are as an offense. They start running the ball well, then abandon it for the short passing game. That starts to work, so suddenly they start chucking it deep. The offense can be really good if they decide to commit to the run, then play action off of it. When they do not do that, it causes problems and the offense sputters.

Miami is horrible on third down this year, probably in part because they throw on first and second downs, and, if those do not work, they face long third downs. If the Dolphins do not commit to the run early, they will not get ahead of the chains, and the will not be able to put the offense in position to score points.

Defense

Miami has to figure out how to stop the run. Pressuring the quarterback is important, and without Cameron Wake it is much hard for Miami to generate that pressure, but this game will come down to Miami stopping the Eagles ground game. Ndamukong Suh is doing his part in eating up blocks, but the rest of the defense seems to repeatedly be just one step out of position, or they are bouncing off tackles they should be making. When Dan Campbell was able to get this team clicking in his first two games as the interim head coach, it was because they were aggressive and flying to the ball. The last two games, they have not been able to do that, and, if that continues, this will be another long game for Dolphins fans.

X-Factor

I would give the Eagles an X Factor here, but I am not sure that the Eagles will actually decide how this game goes. Of course, if they come out like a house on fire, that's one thing. But, I really think Dan Campbell is the X Factor in this game, for both teams. If he is able to get the team back to the physical, aggressive team we saw his first two weeks, then this game could be a Dolphins win or at least a close contest. If Campbell is not able to work his magic, then this game will probably be over by the end of the first quarter.