Cardinals vs. Eagles: Full Arizona Game Preview
The Arizona Cardinals will look to further solidify their playoff positioning when they head east to take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night.
With an 11-2 record, the Cardinals have already secured a playoff berth, and they enter Week 15 with a chance to win the NFC West division title. If things fall right, they can even claim a first-round bye before the weekend is out.
To do so, they'll have to get past a 6-7 Eagles team with plenty to play for. Philadelphia enters the contest in a three-way tie with Washington and the New York Giants atop the NFC East.
Arizona has won seven in a row, but it'll have to be wary of the inconsistent Eagles, who are coming off of back-to-back impressive victories over the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
The action kicks off on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET. Click ahead for the full midweek preview, including an expanded breakdown of the Cardinals' playoff scenarios and a look at the injury report.
Arizona's Playoff Scenarios
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Arizona's playoff destiny could potentially be determined once Week 15 draws to a close. Here's a look at what's at stake.
NFC West
Arizona can clinch the NFC West title with a win or a tie against Philadelphia or a Seattle Seahawks loss or tie against the Cleveland Browns. That scenario holds true for the remainder of the regular season.
In a more complicated scenario outlined by playoff guru Joe Ferreira, Arizona can also clinch the division title this week through strength of victory.
Here's what would have to happen for that to occur:
- New York Jets beat the Dallas Cowboys (Saturday night).
- Cincinnati Bengals beat the San Francisco 49ers.
- Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- New Orleans Saints beat the Detroit Lions.
If all four of those outcomes occur this weekend, Arizona will clinch the division even if it loses to Philadelphia and the Seahawks beat Cleveland.
No. 2 Seed in the NFC
The Cardinals currently hold a two-game lead over the Green Bay Packers for the second seed (and a first-round bye) in the NFC. Here's how they can clinch the second seed in Week 15:
- Arizona beats Philadelphia, and Green Bay loses to or ties the Oakland Raiders.
- Arizona ties with Philadelphia, and Green Bay loses to Oakland
Green Bay is also on the road this week against the Raiders.
Should Arizona fail to clinch the second seed this week, it'll have an opportunity to do so at home against the Packers in Week 16.
No. 1 Seed in the NFC
Arizona still has a shot to secure the top seed in the NFC, which comes with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Here's how that could happen.
- Arizona goes 2-1 or better over the final three weeks; Carolina Panthers go 0-3.
- Arizona goes 3-0 over the final three weeks; Carolina goes 1-2 or worse.
In both scenarios, Arizona would hold the tiebreaker over Carolina by virtue of having the better record within the NFC. Carolina is on the road against the New York Giants this week, in Atlanta against the Falcons in Week 16 and closes its season at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17.
Key Injuries
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The Cardinals released their initial Week 15 injury report on their official website following Wednesday's practice. It is less lengthy than previous editions, although it makes up for it with a rich narrative drive.
Here's a look at the biggest names.
Patrick Peterson
Peterson didn't practice on Wednesday because of an ankle issue. It's always alarming to see a player of Peterson's caliber on the injury report, although there's not much reason to worry.
Head coach Bruce Arians told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday night there's no great concern over Peterson's status. Expect him to be ready to go for Sunday night.
On the subject of cornerbacks, it's worth mentioning that Jerraud Powers was a limited participant on Wednesday. It's too early to guess at his status, although it appears possible he returns from his calf injury on Sunday.
Andre Ellington
Ellington has missed the last two games with a toe injury and didn't practice on Wednesday. Per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Arians said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that Ellington is "iffy" for Sunday.
While David Johnson has held down the starting running back role since Ellington and Chris Johnson went down, the Cardinals could use a veteran presence behind him. Both Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor struggled mightily against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14.
Given Arizona's solid position in the playoff picture, it may be best to wait for Ellington to heal as much as possible before bringing him back into the fold. A return against Green Bay in Week 16 seems more likely.
Frostee Rucker and Cory Redding
Per Marvez, both Rucker and Redding are expected to return to action on Sunday. They both were limited participants in Wednesday's practice.
While Arizona's young players have stepped up along the defensive line, getting back some important depth doesn't hurt one bit, particularly with Rucker playing so well this season. The addition of both will be a big boost for the Cardinals defense.
Key Matchup
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Arizona's Offensive Line vs. Philadelphia's Pass Rush
If there's a strength to this mediocre Eagles team, it's the front seven. Don't let the raw defensive numbers fool you; Philadelphia boasts a lot of talent in the box.
It starts up front with Bennie Logan (6'2", 315 lbs), Fletcher Cox (6'4", 300 lbs) and Cedric Thornton (6'4", 309 lbs) in the Eagles' odd front. The trio is strong, athletic and productive.
From there, the Eagles have no shortage of outside rushers who can overwhelm the otherwise engaged offensive line. Brendan Graham, Connor Barwin and Vinny Curry have combined for 15.5 sacks on the season, with Cox adding an additional 6.5 of his own.
Arizona's offensive line showed signs of improvement against a depleted Minnesota defense in Week 14, but it'll have to take another step forward against Philadelphia. Odds are high the Eagles are going to win their one-on-one battles, so the key for the Cardinals will be keeping that particular score close.
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3 Things to Watch
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Pace
A lot has been said about Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly's uptempo offense, and this will be the Cardinals' first look at what the Eagles are doing. While the Eagles' pace is well short of the all-out blitzkriegs we see in the college game, they're still the fastest team in the league.
Per Football Outsiders, Philadelphia's offense takes a little over 22 seconds on average to snap the ball. That's more than two full seconds faster than the Houston Texans, the team with the second-fastest tempo in the league.
For perspective, the difference between Philadelphia and Houston is roughly the same as the difference between Houston and the teams that are in the middle of the pack in terms of tempo. It's not small.
Arizona's defense will be ready for Philadelphia's uptempo attack, but will it be able to handle it?
Does Arizona Have a Red-Zone Strategy Yet?
A lack of consistency in the red zone remains the Achilles' heel of Arizona's offense, and if Week 14 is any indication, the Cardinals are no closer to solving that particular woe.
Bruce Arians' latest idea was to try Stepfan Taylor as his red-zone back. Starting from the 2-yard line against Minnesota, Taylor was stopped for no gain, quarterback Carson Palmer took a sack and Taylor was stopped at the 5-yard line on a reception as a safety valve.
The Cardinals are running out of time before the playoffs to forge a red-zone identity. David Johnson has had some success in short-yardage situations, and Palmer has been effective locating his tight ends in the end zone. Maybe it's time to put those options back on the table.
Darren Fells
Tight ends tend to be invisible in Bruce Arians' offense, but Fells could be worth watching this week, if only because of a hunch.
Fells has played well in the passing game when his number has been called, securing 17 of his 23 targets for 250 yards and three touchdowns. He just doesn't get that many opportunities to shine.
So why is he interesting to watch this week?
Someone stands to benefit from the recent play of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. This is the first time all three wide receivers have been playing at a high level at the same time, and the Eagles will surely take notice.
Can Fells capitalize on a defense that's stretched thin? Will Arians give him the opportunity?
Prediction: Philadelphia 27, Arizona 21
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This won't go over big in the desert, but there's something scary about this matchup for Arizona.
Part of the problem is logistics: The Cardinals are on the road, on the East Coast and coming off of a disjointed week. Sure, Week 14's Thursday night game gave them extra time to rest, but any disruption to a team's routine can be a powerful thing.
The second problem is that while the Eagles aren't playing particularly great football at the moment, they're doing just enough to survive in the NFC East playoff race. They'll only again be playing for survival on Sunday night, and it's a look they wore well against New England and Buffalo the last two weeks.
Last but not least, will the Cardinals show up focused and motivated on Sunday night?
This isn't a trap game, but of the three games remaining on Arizona's schedule, the Week 16 matchup against Green Bay is the big one. Win that game, and the Cardinals are locked in as the second seed in the NFC.
Arizona is a better team than Philadelphia, but the deck is stacked against it this week. It could be in for a long game and a longer flight home.
Final score: Philadelphia 27, Arizona 21
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