NFC Championship Breakdown: Arizona Cardinals-Philadelphia Eagles

So at the start of the year who had the Philadelphia Eagles playing the Arizona Cardinals for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl?

Ok, how many of you had the Eagles in this game after they lost 36-7 to the Ravens and Donovan McNabb got benched?

The fact is that in this NFC Championship game we have two good teams who have honestly fought and clawed their way to get here and both deserve to be here. This game will be a drag out fight and personally I cant wait to see who wins.
Here is a unit-by-unit look at which team has the edge in each phase of the game. Finally at the end, I will make my NFC pick on who will go to the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. Enjoy.

Quarterbacks

These two teams both have very good veteran quarterbacks who are headed towards retirement.

On the Eagles side, we all know the drama that was brought up when McNabb was benched during the Raven game. However, since that terrible showing McNabb has come to life, throwing 11 scores and only four picks and guiding the Eagles to a 6-1 record including the post season.

Kurt Warner seemed revived this season, throwing for 30 scores and only 14 interceptions the whole season while taking up 4,583 yards in the process.

Warner has less passing attempts than McNabb in the post season (64 for Warner to 74 for McNabb), but has doubled up the number of scores (4 for Warner and only 2 for McNabb). So Warner has been more effective through the air for the Cardinals thus far, while McNabb has been relaying on his defense.

In this Championship game i would have to give the edge to Warner because of his receivers.

EDGE: WARNER

Running Backs

This is a simple pick here.

The Eagles bring into this game their all-everything running back Brain Westbrook, who picked up 936 yards and nine scores on the year and Correll Buckhalter who picked up 369 yards and two scores on the year.

Now in the playoffs teams have given Westbrook "all 22 eyes" and that has allowed others to make the plays that have brought the Eagles to this point. Buckhalter has been averaging 4.9 yards per carry in the playoffs including a back-breaking 27-yard burst against the Vikings in the Wild Card game.

Westbrook has been shut down for the most part, but has still been able to make big plays such as his huge game-sealing 71-yard screen pass against the Vikings.

The Cardinals bring in a rushing attack that they really gave up on through the regular season, but has been revived in the playoffs. Edgerrin James is averaging 3.6 yards per carry while rookie Tim Hightower has averaged 4.3 yards a carry and the they have combined for two scores
.
I would have to give the edge in this category to the Eagles because everyone has their eyes on No. 36 and that has allowed others to make big plays, and has still allowed Westbrook to make the plays when the team needed it.

EDGE: EAGLES

Wide Receivers

This area is not really close due to the players that the Cardinals bring to the match. Larry Fitzgerald has come up huge in the playoffs, grabbing 14 passes for 267 yards and two scores, and broke the backs of the Panthers in the Divisional round.

Steve Breaston has also stepped up big in the absence of Anquan Boldin, grabbing six passes with a 11.2 average yards per catch.

The Eagles are really playing with a bunch of blue collar players at this position. The leading receiver for the postseason is Jason Avant with nine grabs, but he has not scored, and tight end Brent Celek with nine grabs and the huge game-clinching touchdown against the Giants.

The Eagles have been able to spread the ball around in the postseason as 10 players have caught passes for the Eagles (Avant, Celek, DeSean Jackson, Westbrook, Curtis, Buckhalter, Reggie Brown, L.J. Smith, and Hank Baskett.) So the Eagles are doing a better job spreading the ball.

I believe that if Boldin does not play then the Eagles secondary can shut down Fitzgerald and then the supporting cast isn't strong enough to carry the team. The Eagles are spreading the ball so the Cardinals need to be able to account for everyone.
EDGE: EAGLES

Offensive Line

This area is going to be one of the deciding factors on who advances to the Super Bowl.

The Eagles unit is a veteran group led by offensive tackle John Runyan. This group, consisting of Jon Runyan, Shawn Andrews, Jamaal Jackson, Todd Herremans, and William Thomas. It has only given up three sacks so far in three postseason games, but has not gotten much of a push in the rushing attack as Eagles rushers have only picked up an average of 3.8 yards per carry. During the regular season the Eagles allowed 37 sacks on McNabb.

The Cardinals unit has only allowed one sack on Kurt Warner in the postseason thus far and 28 during the year. However, this unit has not been able to do much in regards to allowing rushers to succeed. The rushing game was basically given up on down the stretch and it showed as Arizona went 1-4.

With the unique defensive schemes that Philly will bring to the desert, it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals line handles them. In the first meeting, the Cardinals could not hold the Eagles defense and i don't know how much has changed.

Jim Johnson will come up with a even better scheme and i think that the Eagles line will outplay the Cardinals.

EDGE: EAGLES

Defensive Lines

This is a very interesting matchup as both units are very good.

The Cardinals defensive line has really come on during the postseason, stacking up against the run and allowing the Falcons 3.2 yards a rush and the Panthers, who were tops in the league in rushing, to 4.6 yards a rush.

The big three on the line have really turned it on in the postseason as Darnell Dockett has three tackles, Gabe Watson has two tackles, and Bertrand Berry has six tackles and two sacks. This unit will have to come up big against the Eagles offensive line and keep Westbrook at bay.

The Eagles come into this game with a defensive line that has stood up to two very good rushing attacks in Minnesota and New York.

The line is led by Trent Cole, who has 20 tackles so far and was a Giant killer last week. Joining Cole on the line is Brodrick Bunkley, who has five tackles, and Mike Patterson, who has nine tackles. Backups Chris Clemons (two tackles) and Juqua Parker (two tackles) habr helped this line anchor in.

The edge here would have to go to the Eagles because the line has played at a high level all year while the Cardinals have just come on. In a tough game like this you have to go with the reliable pick.

EDGE: EAGLES

Linebackers

The Cardinals linebacking corps is very athletic and can cover receivers without going into any kind of dime set.

Karlos Dansby is the leader of this group and rightfully so after recording 119 tackles, four sacks, and two picks during the regular season as well as 16 tackles during the post season. Dansby will most likely be matched up on Westbrook and he is athletic enough to possibly stay with him.

Joining Dansby is middle backer Gerald Hayes (eight tackles in postseason), and outside backer Chike Okeafor, who has four tackles and one sack in postseason play.

The Eagles backer corps is lead by Stewart Bradley, who has 17 tackles so far in three playoff games. The outside linebacker is Chris Gocong, who has 13 tackles on the playoff season so far, and Akeem Jordan, who only has five tackles. Omar Gaither coming off the bench has played well with three tackles, but is exposed on passing downs.

The Eagles linebackers are very good filling holes against the run, but they are not great covering, and not as athletic as the Cardinals when it comes to coverage. For this reason, against a pass happy team like Arizona, i think the Eagles backers struggle so the advantage goes to Arizona.

EDGE: ARIZONA

Secondary

The Eagles went out and got the biggest free agent in the offseason, and a huge piece of the Patriots dynasty in Asante Samuel. Samuel finished the regular season with four picks and returned one for a score. During the playoff stretch he has recorded five tackles and two picks, one of which was brought back for a score against the Giants last week.

He forces opposing offenses to look on the other side of the field, which is Sheldon Brown's area. Brown has recorded five tackles thus far. Subbing in for Samuel and Brown is Joselio Hanson, who has played decent, recording three tackles in relief.

At safety, there is no one better then Brian Dawkins who has been the leader of the whole Eagles team in the playoff run. Dawkins has lost a step or two, but is still the man I would want as my last line of defense. In three playoff games he has 16 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, and three forced fumbles.

On the Arizona side, the secondary is lead by Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson. Rolle has nine tackles in the postseason and one interception, while Wilson has nine tackles and one fumble recovery.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will have to keep track of DeSean Jackson and former Eagles corner, Rod Hood will have to keep track of Kevin Curtis.

The edge in this game is the the Eagles since their secondary is so dominate in causing turnovers and stopping opposing receivers.
EDGE: EAGLES

And the winner is...

Let's be honest, how many people actually believed that after the Baltimore game, in which the Eagles got blown out and McNabb got benched, that the Eagles would be one game away from the Super Bowl?

On the last day of the regular season the Eagles needed a lot of help from the Raiders and the Texans and to the shock of everyone they got it, setting up the game against Dallas for the final playoff spot. Well the Eagles totally took apart the Cowboys 44-6 to set up this great playoff run.

In the playoffs the Eagles have outscored teams 49-25 and took out the league's two top rushing teams in the Vikings and the Giants. There is something special about this team and i think the magical ride continues at least one more week.

FINAL: EAGLES 28 Cardinals 14