Game Overview ::
By MIKE JOHNSON >>
- The Eagles’ offense finally woke up in their 33-25 Week 16 victory over the Giants, which was the first time in four weeks that they had scored 20 or more points.
- Kyler Murray has not passed for more than 256 yards in any of his six games since returning from injury this year.
- Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was previously the defensive coordinator for the Eagles, which should help them be prepared for Philadelphia’s offensive attack.
- The Eagles’ defense has struggled with mobile quarterbacks this year, giving up big games to Josh Allen, Dak Prescott (x2), and Sam Howell (x2).
- The Eagles’ offense has been dominant against bad defenses this season and the Cardinals rank dead last in the NFL in defensive DVOA.
How aRIZONA Will Try To Win ::
Arizona lost convincingly to the Bears last week, which marked the third time in the last four games the Cardinals lost by double digits. The lone exception to that game was their win in Pittsburgh against the Kenny Pickett- and Mitch Trubisky-led Steelers in a game played with poor weather and field conditions. The Cardinals have found ways to be competitive at times this season, but they’ve recently have been abused and the season is taking its toll as the injury count mounts and the team’s conservative and talent-ridden defensive scheme gets beat up on by opponents. This week they travel to Philadelphia, where they will face a familiar foe in Gannon’s former employer.
Murray missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a “holiday bug”, as he is reportedly dealing with an illness. Obviously, his presence or absence would make a huge impact on the projections for this game. We saw one game with Clayton Tune under center against the Browns, and the Cardinals’ offense was anemic in that spot and barely able to move the ball. I would expect something similar from Arizona’s offense this week if Murray were forced to miss, but I would expect him to be available. Assuming they have Murray, the Cardinals’ offense will be in a tough spot facing a solid Eagles defensive front that has been worse against the run lately than they were early in the season. Arizona will likely focus on running the ball with James Conner and targeting Trey McBride in the passing game.
The unfortunate thing for Arizona is that Philadelphia is most susceptible on the perimeter to wide receivers, the spot where the Cardinals are the least threatening – especially with Marquise Brown expected to miss another game this week. The Cardinals will look to control the ball early in the game and likely will take a couple of downfield shots off play action as well. Assuming Murray is healthy, we should expect Arizona to use his mobility to create problems for the Eagles and try to extend plays and break them down in that way to create bigger running lanes. The Cardinals know that Philadelphia is built for playing with a lead, so while their overall tendencies will likely focus on ball control, they should also realize their best chance against the Eagles will be simultaneously shortening the game and forcing Philadelphia to play from behind. Long drives that end in touchdowns. Sounds easy, right?
You must be logged in to view collective notes about a game.
You must be logged in to add notes about a game.