Eagles Must Prevent "Fitzmagic" From Happening Again

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick beat Philly last year when he was with Tampa Bay, but is below .500 in his career against them

There seems to be this perception that Ryan Fitzpatrick is an Eagles killer.

Fact is the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback really isn’t. He is 2-3-1 against them in his 15-year career.

Those career numbers will change, either for the better or the worse, when Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins line up against the Eagles on Sunday (1 pm/FOX) in South Florida.

There is a crazy number associated with Fitzpatrick, though. This will be his seventh start against the Eagles and all of them have come with a different team.

Here is the rundown of Fitzpatrick’s starts against the Eagles:

2005: Loss with St. Louis

2008: Tie with the Bengals

2011: Win with the Bills

2014: Loss with the Texans

2015: Loss with the Jets

2018: Win with the Buccaneers

The most recent game is the one that really stands out.

The Eagles went to Tampa Bay in the second week of the 2018 season with a 1-0 record and as defending Super Bowl LII champions.

Fitzpatrick, who turned 37 on Nov. 24, scorched them. He completed 27 of 33 passes for 402 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Granted, the personnel were vastly different with the Bucs, which had DeSean Jackson, who caught four passes for 129 yards with a 75-yard touchdown, than it is with the Dolphins.

Fitzpatrick, though, is never, it seems, far away from being able to work his “Fitzmagic.”

“A lot of respect for what he’s done, his career,” said Eagles head coach Doug Pederson on Wednesday morning. “Go back to last year when we faced him, Tampa Bay. He’s a competitor, I love watching him play. He doesn’t care. He’s going to try to put the ball in tight windows and he’s going to lead probably more by example.

“A lot of respect for him, a lot like Josh McCown with us. These guys that continue to play and play at a high level and help their teams win. A lot of respect for those guys.”

McCown has Fitzpatrick beat.

The Eagles’ backup to Carson Wentz is 40, is in his 17th season and has played for nine different teams. He has been on the field for just six snaps this season, however, completing three passes in five attempts for 24 yards. He is 2-1 in his career against the Dolphins.