Cardinals vs. Eagles: What's the Game Plan for Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia Eagles face one of their toughest tasks of the season as the Arizona Cardinals come into town for their clash at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday night.
The Eagles are on a two-game winning streak following their 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills last week. Philadelphia now controls its own destiny as it is tied with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins for the top spot in the NFC East with a 6-7 record.
Arizona comes into the game with an 11-2 record following its 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals are amidst the favorites in the NFL to make a run at the Super Bowl with one of the most well-rounded teams in the league.
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The last time these two played, the Cardinals came out on top with a 75-yard touchdown pass to John Brown to give them the 24-20 victory.
Philadelphia returns to prime time this weekend as it tries to win its second game on a three-game home stint. The Eagles turned their season around with a win over New England two weeks ago to break their losing streak. Now a second statement win over the Cardinals would give head coach Chip Kelly's team momentum heading into the final two weeks of the season.
With the regular season quickly coming to a close, let's take a look at what Philadelphia needs to do in order to upset Arizona at Lincoln Financial Field.
Offensive Game Plan
Arizona's offense puts up points each and every week with 31.2 points per game, which is second-best in the league, so Philadelphia's offense will need to match its production. The Eagles' ability to attack the opposing defense boils down to Sam Bradford.
The 28-year-old has completed 65 percent of his passes in his last four starts. After a rocky start to the season, Bradford has grown more comfortable in Kelly's system with 898 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception in those last four starts. Additionally, the Eagles are 6-2 in the last eight games that Bradford has started and finished, so the team is rallying around their quarterback as well.
Moving the ball against Arizona's defense is no easy task as it ranks fourth in the NFL with only giving up 322.4 yards of total offense per game. However, the true strength of its defense is its ability to stop the run. Calais Campbell, Rodney Gunter and Frostee Rucker are roadblocks up front as the clog gaps and provide no holes for opposing tailbacks to escape.
But the Cardinals are vulnerable through the air due to their lack of a consistent pass rush. Dwight Freeney leads the team with only four sacks, and that leads defensive coordinator James Bettcher to bring extra rushers to manufacture a pass rush.
Naturally, bringing extra pass rushers leaves fewer bodies to defend against the pass. But Philadelphia's wide receivers will still have a difficult matchup this week. Patrick Peterson will likely cover the rookie Nelson Agholor, and Jordan Matthews will go against Tyrann Mathieu in the slot.
However, bringing pressure could mean more targets for Philadelphia's tight ends and running backs. The Eagles love to utilize their tailbacks both out of the backfield and in the screen game. It is more likely for Darren Sproles and Co. to make an impact in the passing game this week rather than on the ground.
Philadelphia's tight ends are also evolving into a valuable part of the passing attack as Kelly utilizes more formations with either or both on the field. Brent Celek does not gain much separation, but if left open he is sure-handed and can deliver a blow running with the football. Zach Ertz creates more matchup problems as he is developing into a reliable target for Bradford. The athletic tight end needs to take advantage of one-on-one coverage in order for Philadelphia to move the ball against this stout defense.
Defensive Game Plan
Bruce Arians is known for his mentoring of quarterbacks and Carson Palmer looks like a brand new quarterback under the tutelage of his head coach. Palmer has thrown for 4,003 yards and 31 touchdowns already this year, and a lot of it comes down to his ability to throw the ball deep.
Arizona's offense is centered on the ability to stretch defenses with its vertical passing game. In order to give 10- or 15-yard routes to develop, a lot of pressure falls onto its offensive line to protect Palmer. And the Cardinals have only allowed 21 sacks this year, which is fourth fewest in the NFL.
In order to slow down Arizona's passing attack, Philadelphia needs to get pressure on Palmer. That responsibility will fall on Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Co. this weekend. Both Cox and Graham lead the team with 6.5 sacks on the season, while Connor Barwin is close behind with 5.5 sacks.
Last week provided an interesting challenge for Philadelphia's pass rushers as they tried to contain a mobile quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. The Eagles only managed one sack last week against Taylor, but they did force him to scramble for yards eight times. On the other hand, Palmer is definitely not known for his athleticism, and the Eagles can plan on him remaining in the pocket through hell or high water, which could make it easier for the defense.
"I like my chances against a [Tom] Brady because if you take away that first read, they're going to have no choice but to stand there," said Graham, according to the Philadelphia Inquier's Mike Sielski. "It's all about taking away that first read."
Philadelphia managed four sacks and 10 hits against Brady just two weeks ago. Pocket passers are easier targets for defense, as their launch point is very similar play in and play out. However, Philadelphia's success will come down to its ability to get pressure without blitzing.
Defensive coordinator Billy Davis cannot afford to dedicate more players to the pass rush to the dangerous receiving weapons Arizona possesses. Philadelphia needs to avoid bringing extra rushers and leaving Eric Rowe and Byron Maxwell on islands against Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Co.
The key for Philadelphia will be its ability to disrupt Palmer's rhythm with consistent pressure from its base rushers like Cox, Graham and Vinny Curry. Palmer is putting together a career year, and it all starts with Arizona's ability to keep its quarterback upright in the pocket.
Key Players and Matchups
Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald loves playing against Philadelphia. The wide receiver has played against the Eagles seven different times, and he has scored in every matchup.
The 32-year-old has already racked up 47 receptions for 802 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his career against Philadelphia. In fact, Fitzgerald benefited from Arizona's vertical passing game last year as he burned Philadelphia for an 80-yard score when the two teams faced off last year.
The Eagles defensive backs will need to be aware of Fitzgerald at all times, but Arizona should be able to work favorable matchups due to its multitude of options. Philadelphia will likely use the veteran Malcolm Jenkins in coverage when Fitzgerald lines up in the slot. But the physical receiver could also see some action against the rookie Rowe when he features on the outside.
History projects that Fitzgerald will have a big game, and Philadelphia's thin secondary will not have many options against Arizona's talented wide receivers this weekend.
Zach Ertz
The pass-catching tight end continues to show flashes of potential but is still developing as a player. Ertz struggles to get onto the field at times due to inferior blocking abilities, but he is an important weapon in Philadelphia's passing attack.
The Stanford product came up with a big 41-yard reception in the fourth quarter last weekend to put Caleb Sturgis in range to hit the game-winning field goal. The 25-year-old put together a gritty performance with five catches for 98 yards as he fought for extra yardage on that final reception.
Most importantly, Ertz looks to be developing into one of Bradford's favorite targets. The quarterback trusts the tight end enough to throw the ball up and let him use a high, large catch radius to make a play.
With inconsistent performances from the wide receivers, Philadelphia needs Ertz to make his presence known to open up space for the rest of Philadelphia's weapons. However, that will not be an easy task against safety Tyrann Mathieu and the rest of Arizona's talented secondary.
Prediction
The Eagles are peaking at the right point of the season as they mount a playoff challenge in the final three weeks, but they face arguably the best team they have played all season. They lost to Carolina when the Panthers were still rounding into form, and they pulled off an upset over an injury-riddled Patriots team.
Arizona is one of the most balanced teams in the league. It can stop the run defensively, while possessing talented players in the secondary to slow down basically any offense. On the other side of the ball, Palmer is the orchestrator of a passing game that possesses a variety of attacking weapons.
Fitzgerald will likely continue his success against Philadelphia if he finds himself matched up with nickel corner E.J. Biggers instead of the veteran Jenkins. Additionally, the outside matchups pose problems for Philadelphia as well.
Both Rowe and Maxwell are working through ankle injuries, according to the team's injury report. The corners will be facing a pair of deep threat targets as both John Brown and Michael Floyd average 16.3 yards per catch. The Eagles will likely provide cover for their corners for most of the game, but it only takes one play for the receivers to change the outlook of the game.
Look for Brown or Floyd to tag Philadelphia for a long touchdown when the Eagles typically bring pressure in key situations. The Eagles' defense ranks second-worst with 29 surrendered passing touchdowns, while the Cardinals are second-best with 31 offensive touchdowns through the air.
The only hope for Philadelphia's defense is for it to put Palmer under pressure and force turnovers. However, the Cardinals have not surrendered a turnover in the last three games.
Offensively, Philadelphia looks to be improving each week, but this may be too tall of a task for Bradford and Co. The Eagles will move the ball through the air when needed, but they need one of their three tailbacks to step up and put together a big game on the ground. Ryan Mathews struggled in his return from injury last week, but he has been Philadelphia's best option on the ground through the entire season. The tailback will fight for extra yards, but he will not have much room to work with against Arizona's defensive front.
The Eagles have shown that they can pull off the unthinkable this season, in both a good and bad way, but Arizona is just too tall of a task at the moment. Philadelphia will fall to the Cardinals, but it will still control its own destiny in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Final Prediction: Cardinals 30, Eagles 17
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