Top NFC teams clash in Arizona this Sunday
By Omar Soussi
Arizona Cardinals Opponent Preview
Philadelphia Eagles
The Arizona Cardinals will be home this week to play the 5-1 Eagles. This will be a very interesting and tough game that may even decide who has the top seed in the NFC conference (at this point, for all we know both teams could simply crash and burn from this point on). The Eagles will have a slight advantage due to the fact that they had a bye week the last week while the Arizona Cardinals had a game against the Raiders. So lets dive into what the Eagles look like.
Revitalized line and running game:
If their game against the Giants is any indication, the Eagles are back to their old form with their running game and offensive line, rushing for over 200 yards over the Giants and LeSean McCoy got 149 of those yards. The team also gave quarterback Nick Foles plenty of time, only giving up one sack. With a bye week, they should improve even more and be ready to run the ball against Arizona. This will prove a HUGE challenge for the number one rushing defense and it will be interesting to see if Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will mix up blitzes to get pressure on Foles.
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Weak defense:
The Eagles have a bad defense, they can get to the quarterback usually but they give up yards like crazy and they can’t get turnovers. They constantly get beat deep and they struggle against the run. The Eagles did play well against the Giants but the Giants pretty much played like it was a preseason game. This has been a weak spot for them for so long and it will hurt them throughout this game. The Cardinals will be able to show their offensive power.
The Playmakers:
While Nick Foles hasn’t been playing to expectations, the receivers of the Eagles have been. Jeremy Maclin has been playing good, Jordan Matthews has improved each week and Riley Cooper has been above average this year. Zach Ertz has made strides and LeSean McCoy is a monster with the ball in his hands. The Cardinals will have a tough time dealing with all these weapons.
The enigma of Nick Foles:
Foles is so tough to figure out, one week he plays spectacularly, the next week, he plays like garbage. He has been bailed out by his defense and special teams but when the team needs him to win the game, they usually fail. His deep accuracy has been poor this year, overthrowing receivers multiple times and he has taken a beating over the last couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see how the bye week helps him this week.
This game is gonna be very tough to call, and I will pick my winner in my Saturday post on the cardinals (shameless plug).