Semi-coherent Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals preview

You can relax now: That horrible break in the schedule known as the bye week is finally behind us.

While fans might not like spending a week away from the Eagles, I imagine players might feel differently. They probably enjoy having a brief break in the middle of the season.

That said, I hope they took the opportunity to rest up, because they don’t get to ease back into action. Next up on the schedule are the first place Arizona Cardinals.

Eagles vs. Cardinals: The rivalry

As co-members of the NFC East for many years, the Eagles and Cardinals have played quite a few contests against each other. In theory, that was an positive for the Eagles since the Cardinals have traditionally been one of the league’s weaker teams.

Yet it feels like the Eagles have suffered more than their fair share of disappointing losses to the Cards over the years. I don’t know if that’s because the Cardinals “have their number” as much as if you play a team enough times, you’re going to rack up at least a few losses, no matter how crappy that team is.

The most disappointing loss of all may have come to a Cardinals team that actually wasn’t lousy. It came to a team that most Cardinals fans would deem as the best in franchise history. (Note: Being considered the greatest team in Cardinals history isn’t exactly the high praise it would be for other franchises)

Kurt Warner. Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 2008-2009 NFC Championship Game was not a matchup that most people predicted before the playoffs began. The Eagles needed a good deal of luck just to make the playoffs,and as the sixth seed, they needed two road wins to advance to the championship.

The only thing standing in their way was an unremarkable Cardinals team that qualified for the playoffs simply because they were the best of a weak NFC West division.

The teams had faced each other earlier that season on Thanksgiving night. In that game, the Eagles jumped all over the Cardinals and won 48-20. (Some people questioned the fairness of making a western team play on the East coast on Thanksgiving night. Rest assured, very few of those people were Eagles fans)

Because of that earlier victory – and the fact that, come on, it’s the Cardinals! – despite the Eagles’ well-publicized past issues with the NFC Championship Game, it seemed likely that they would prevail. Then again, it seemed just as unlikely that they’d lose to Tampa Bay in sub-freezing temperatures a few years earlier.

Naturally, the Eagles came out and played like crap, staking the Cardinals to a 24-6 lead.

Midway through the third quarter, I had given up hope. So when Brent Celek managed caught a touchdown pass, it felt like nothing more than a cosmetic score.

When the Eagles scored again near the end of the quarter, I began to believe again. In the fourth quarter, it looked like we had a miracle on our hands. A long pass was tipped by a defender and ended up in DeSean Jackson‘s hands for a 62 yard touchdown that gave the Eagles a 25-24 lead.

Victory – and the Super Bowl – seemed imminent. The Eagles had the momentum, and more importantly, their defense had toughened in the second half. Now all they had to do was keep the Cardinals off the board.

That proved easier said than done, as Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner drove the team down the field for a go-ahead touchdown. The Eagles got the ball back with a chance to tie the game, but apparently a miracle finish was not in store for them that day.

The last time they met

Last season, the Cardinals were also the Eagles’ first opponent after their bye. And similar to this year, the Eagles were in the midst of a winning streak, having won their previous three games.

Bruce Arians. Image Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

That winning streak didn’t impress Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. He made comments dismissing the Eagles’ offense as a “college offense.”

That college offense looked pretty good early on, as the Eagles took a 24-7 lead in the third quarter. But they had a lot of trouble running the ball in the second half, providing the Cardinals an opportunity to make a comeback.

In the end, thanks in part to some questionable officials calls that went the Eagles way, they escaped with a 24-21 win.

After the game, Arians was upset about the officiating, but in true Cary Williams fashion, the Eagles’ corner told the Cardinals’ coach to stop being a crybaby.

What’s the deal with the Cardinals?

Thanks to a strong defense, some pundits considered the Cardinals to be a dark horse Super Bowl contender before the season. I found one major flaw with that thinking: Their quarterback is Carson Palmer.

Carson Palmer. Image Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not saying Palmer sucks. He’s proven he can be a perfectly adequate starting quarterback in the NFL, and I think given the right circumstances, a team could win a Super Bowl with him at the helm. (This is not especially high praise, since I feel this is true of at least half the starters in the NFL)

Palmer has missed a few games due to injury, but to his credit, he’s played well when healthy. He’s had some problems with interceptions in the past, but thus far this season, he’s managed to limit the number of picks thrown. This is more impressive considering the Cardinals don’t have much in way of a running game.

On the other hand, the Cardinals defense has been mostly as good as advertised. They’re the top rushing defense in the NFL, and that is the main reason they’re currently in first place in the NFC West with a 5-1 record.

Featured Cardinals player

Larry Fitzgerald has absolutely killed the Eagles throughout his career. This doesn’t make the Eagles unique, as Fitzgerald may very well end up in the Hall of Fame one day. But it feels like he saves his absolute best games for when he plays the Eagles.

Larry Fitzgerald. Image Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In five games against the Eagles, Fitzgerald has 31 receptions for 490 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. And that doesn’t even include his 152 yard/three touchdown performance in the aforementioned NFC Championship Game.

Remember back in 2011 when the Eagles had Nnamdi Asomugha, and Eagles fans thought, “Okay, this time around, Larry’s not going to have such an easy time of it?” We figured that the Eagles would have Asomugha shadow Fitzgerald around the field, and that would severely limit his production.

This was flawed thinking due to two major misconceptions:

1. Nnamdi Asomugha was still an elite cornerback.

2. The Eagles would have their supposed best corner match up against the opponent’s best receiver. (Ladies and gentlemen, the Juan Castillo era!)

In the end, Fitzgerald’s 146 yard day helped lead the Cardinals to an upset (remember what I said about a lot of disappointing losses?) victory.

Key Eagles storyline: Is the running game back?

When the Eagles played the Giants two weeks ago, the running game looked much like it did in 2013. There were running lanes for LeSean McCoy to run through, and he took full advantage. He was juking defenders and picking up huge chunks of yardage – 149 in all.

LeSean McCoy. image Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

There was some thought that the resurgence was due to the Eagles’ backups on the offensive line finally jelling. (It’s worth noting that the Giants game was the first time all season where the same five players started consecutive games)

There was some thought that McCoy was more decisive, and instead of dancing around looking for a big play, he hit holes more decisively.

And there was a thought that Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell came in with an insanely poor game plan, and didn’t make much effort to slow McCoy down.

The Cardinals will likely not make the same mistake. They will almost assuredly clog running lanes and try their best not to allow the Eagles to beat them on the ground.

This isn’t to say that the Eagles aren’t capable of success anyway. If the running game is a team strength, then it shouldn’t matter if the opponent is trying to stop it. You still find a way to get it done.

Elsewhere in the NFL

So wait, the Cowboys are actually good?

Heading into the season, it was taken as a given that the Cowboys were going to be bad. Their defense looked comically awful, and while there was some talent on offense, Tony Romo wasn’t getting any younger.

DeMarco Murray. Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

After having their way with the Giants last week, the Cowboys are now 6-1 and in first place. Their offense, powered by DeMarco Murray and his historically high number of carries, has been scoring points. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve also done an excellent job of keeping the Cowboys’ defense off the field.

It seems that the Eagles are very fortunate to not face the Cowboys until later in the season. Romo is notoriously weaker late in the season, and we’ll see if Murray is able to hold up after getting such a heavy workload.

Foles-o-Meter

I realized something that was both encouraging and discouraging: Nick Foles is a lot like Eli Manning.

Both have ideal size for an NFL quarterback, while neither shows the type of mibility that is currently in vogue.

Both can “make all the throws” but neither man is in the discussion for “strongest arm in the NFL.”

Both men have had extended runs when they look like top quarterbacks, yet there is still plenty of skepticism that their best performances are more the result of luck and great play by their receivers. (Seriously, as awesome as Foles’ game against the Raiders was, it did seem like the Raiders defenders just kept falling down)

The bad news is that while Eli has pretty much proven he isn’t “elite” (An elite quarterback’s team shouldn’t miss the playoffs as often as his has), he’s also proven that he can win a Super Bowl (or two) if things break right.

Another bit of good news: We forget that this is only Foles’ third season, and he still may improve. On the other hand, Manning is clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

Prediction

All things being equal, I’d pick this game as a loss for the Eagles. The Cardinals have played well, and I think their defensive front will give the Eagles’ offensive line some trouble.

Yet, I think the Eagles get a huge advantage coming off their bye. They’ll be rested, and some guys who have been fighting injuries (Mychal Kendricks and Darren Sproles chief among them) should be in better health.

The Cardinals have very good cornerbacks and they’ve been strong against the run. But I think the Eagles are diverse enough that they can adjust, and they’ll attack the Cardinals underneath. Look for a lot of shorter passes to McCoy, Sproles, and Zack Ertz.

It will be a lower scoring contest, but the Eagles will find a way to win.

Eagles 23 – Cardinals 20