On Paper: Breaking Down Eagles-Cardinals

Quarterbacks

Protecting the football remains a serious concern for Nick Foles heading into the seventh game of the year. Foles has only made it through one game without a turnover this year, and has had four games where he’s committed multiple interceptions/fumbles. The Eagles have been fortunate to overcome these mistakes so far, and sooner or later turning over the football at such an alarming rate is going to really cost you. The hope here is that the extra week off will have given Foles some time to iron things out and come out playing a much crisper game this week.

Carson Palmer has battled through a shoulder problem most of the year. He’s in his third game back from the injury, and the Cardinals hope that he’ll get stronger each week. Palmer is also a guy that can commit a flurry of turnovers when he’s thrown off of his game. In last year’s meeting with the Eagles, Palmer committed a couple of costly turnovers that helped give the Birds an edge.

Advantage: Eagles

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy has finally begun to get himself going. He comes off of a solid showing against the Giants where he gained 149 yards, and he’s beginning to run hard north and south again. Darren Sproles has been able to practice during the week despite suffering a knee injury against the Giants, and appears to be on track to play. Sproles would be a huge loss for this offense, he really brings an additional dimension to the table and we’ve seen how his explosiveness has turned the tide of several games already this year.

Andre Ellington has quietly been having a solid season for the Cardinals. While Ellington has only found the end zone twice, he’s gained at least 75 total yards in every game this year. He’s an explosive dual-threat that really makes this offense work and helps move the chains for this football team. He has been a little banged up, he’s dealt with foot and rib problems all season, so the Cardinals need to be conservative with his touches. Stefan Taylor has emerged as the team’s short yardage back.

Advantage: Eagles

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Jeremy Maclin was held to just two catches for 16 yards against the Giants, but the Eagles had other weapons step up to pick up the slack in that game. The tight ends were much more heavily involved last week with Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, and James Casey combining for seven receptions, over 100 yards, and two touchdowns. The Cardinals are a team that has struggled to take away opposing tight ends, and the Eagles had some good success last year going to Ertz and Celek against Arizona, and I would expect the Eagles to utilize their talented tight ends prominently again this week.

Larry Fitzgerald has had some of his best games against the Eagles throughout his career. Fitz has 31 receptions for 490 yards and seven touchdowns in five career games against the Birds. He’s been off to a very slow start this year, finding the endzone only once through six weeks, but you can never sleep on a guy of his talent. Michael Floyd has been developing nicely for the Cardinals, registering two 100 yard games on the year, and he’s also found the endzone in two straight games. Another guy to watch out for here is slot receiver Josh Brown. Brown has been emerging as a reliable target for Carson Palmer on third downs, and has also made his way into the endzone three times. The tight ends are not a big part of the Arizona offense. John Carlson is the starter, but he’s not scored or had more than 43 yards in a game this year.

Advantage: Eagles

Offensive Line

The Eagles’ offensive line has been improving every week. With the return of Lane Johnson, and David Molk and Matt Tobin settling more and more into their roles every week, this unit has begun to do a little better at opening things up for LeSean McCoy and the running game while also protecting Nick Foles. Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis began to practice again this week, and with their return dates in sight, it won’t be long until this group hits its peak again.

The Arizona offensive line has given up just 11 sacks so far this year, and have helped the Arizona running backs manage a decent 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. There have been a couple of surprises on the Arizona line this year, including the fact that former top pick Jonathan Cooper has spent the season on the bench. Cooper was viewed as one of the safest picks in the draft a couple years back, but has lost his starting job to Ted Larsen and was also unable to beat out former Eagle Paul Fanaika for the other spot.

Advantage: Eagles

Defensive Line

The Eagles have had different guys from their defensive line step up every week and make plays. Whether its been Fletcher Cox forcing a fumble against the Jaguars, Cedric Thornton coming down with two fumble recoveries against the Rams, or Vinny Curry’s four sacks in the last three games, this is a group that has contributed every week.

The Cardinals have missed the presence of defensive tackle Darnell Dockett up front. They’ve really struggled with their pass rush, and have managed just seven sacks on the year. Calais Campbell, Dan Williams, and former Bengal Frostee Rucker make up the starting unit. Campbell is guy who is typically good for 6-8 sacks a year, but has just one so far this year. Former Patriot and Raider standout Tommy Kelly also sees some snaps as a member of their rotation.

Advantage: Eagles

Linebackers

The Eagles hope to finally get Mychal Kendricks back in the lineup this week, but even though he has practiced this week his status is still murky for Sunday’s game, meaning the Eagles could have to try and get through one more game with the combination of Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho that has been surprisingly competent. Connor Barwin and Trent Cole have been excellent in the pass rush of late. Barwin has six sacks in the last three games, and he’s been performing at a Pro-Bowl level for this defense.

The Cardinals have been searching for means to replace Karlos Dansby, who they were unable to afford last winter in free agency. Their current starters are Alex Okafor (who leads the team with two sacks), Sam Acho (brother of Emmanuel Acho), Kevin Minter, and former Pittsburgh Steeler Larry Foote. There’s not a lot dynamic playmaking ability in this group, they can be described as steady but unspectacular.

Advantage: Eagles

Secondary

Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher played much better against the Giants two weeks ago, but the Eagles never know what they’re going to get out of these two on a week to week basis. Neither has recorded an interception through six games, and Malcolm Jenkins remains the only member of this team with a pick to this point.

Patrick Peterson has been a disappointment for the Cardinals this year, and he’s really been struggling ever since he agreed to a big contract extension. That being said, he’s still an electrifying talent with game-breaking ability. Antonio Cromartie starts opposite Peterson, giving the Cardinals a solid, though underachieving one-two punch at the position. Nickel corner Jerraud Powers leads the team with three interceptions.

Advantage: Cardinals

Special Teams

The Eagles’ success on special teams has been well-documented and rightly so. This is one of the few units in the league that has a real chance to make a regular impact each week.

Rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro has not missed a kick in 20 attempts for the Cardinals this year. Tedd Ginn has taken over punt return duties for Patrick Peterson, and has run one kick back for a score.

Advantage: Eagles

Intangibles/Projected Outcome

Trips out west are never easy, and the Cardinals are a team that has been one of the major surprises in the league this year with their 5-1 start.

Arizona is a good football team that just barely missed the playoffs a year ago, largely in part to their loss against the Eagles. Its a revenge game for them, and an opportunity to knock off one of the teams with the league’s best ecored in front of their home fans.

However, I don’t feel like Arizona comes out on top this week. I think the bye week makes a big difference for the Eagles, and fresh off of their domination of the Giants, I think Chip Kelly and company are going to be ready to come out and earn a tough road win. Don’t think that the success of the Dallas Cowboys has gone unnoticed by the Eagles.

The Birds have to know that they can’t get complacent right now and losing isn’t an option when they’re already half a game behind Dallas in the division.

Pick: Eagles 27, Cardinals 23