4-0. Last undefeated team in the NFL. Top-3 in almost every power ranking. Our birds have arrived, and my god if it isn’t glorious. While the talks of a “near-perfect roster” are fun, what’s also fun is winning more games, and in the NFL, that’s never a given. Jalen Hurts would be the first to tell you everything is earned, and that will stay the case in week 5, where the Eagles travel to Phoenix and take on a struggling Cardinals team with everything to prove. How can the Eagles secure victory and fend off a young team with everything to lose? Let’s find out.
Cardinals’ Strengths
1. Defensive Playmakers
The Arizona Defense is far from a good unit, but we’ll get to that later; the point I’m making here is that they have certain players that can take over games if not sufficiently planned against. While not necessarily his former self, JJ Watt is still a pass-rush menace on the defensive line. Behind him are two young but athletic linebackers in Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins, who while having major faults, can be big play machines when used correctly. In the Secondary, the safety duo of Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker is one of the best in the league, and should cause QBs to hesitate when going deep. At corner, Byron Murphy has been pretty good this season, and has the potential to turn the ball over if not given his respect.
2. Explosive Weapons
Even though the Cards will be without well-known receiver and PED user Deandre Hopkins this Sunday, the corps of weaponry they’ve assembled is far from bad. Hollywood Brown is an explosive speedster with a growing rapport with QB Kyler Murray, and always needs to be given attention lest he takes the top off of your defense for a 60-yard TD. The same can be said for sophomore Rondale Moore, who was one of my favorite prospects in last year’s draft for his twitch and shiftiness with the ball in his hands. James Conner can be viewed in a similar light, and while a good running back, he makes his bread catching passes out of the backfield. As a possession threat, the Cardinals employ the husband of well-known soccer star Julie Ertz, a guy who’s apparently had a pretty good career before he got shipped to the desert. That’s quite a few names to keep track of, and with the next strength at the helm, it has deadly potential.
3. K1
There’s a lot of criticism thrown towards Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, some deserving and tons not. The “homework clause” contract debacle was concerning, and a major distraction, but the objective truth is Kyler Murray has been putting this Cardinals team on his back for the past four weeks. His arm strength, accuracy, pocket presence, and ability to extend plays all fall in the upper-tiers of quarterbacks in this league, and combined they make Kyler a truly special player. It’s been seen in the second half of games how Kyler can take over the offense and essentially will them to productivity, whether the play calling and line play are conducive to his success or not. There’s alot to keep in mind when facing K1, and he should NOT be overlooked.
Eagles’ Strengths
1. Offense
If the Eagles keep playing the way they are, these sections are going to get very repetitive. While the rain made passing a little bit harder last Sunday, we saw the run game finally reach 2021 levels again against an elite run-defending defensive line. Passing is elite, running is elite, playcalling is creative; this offense is rolling.
2. Defense
The same thing that I said for the offense goes for the defense (AGAIN). Pass defense is lockdown. Run defense has been the same way. Not that I want us to get worse, but it’s so very hard to highlight specific strengths when so far it’s been basically everything. Here’s one: shout out to TJ Edwards, who’s playing like an elite LB so far this year. Pay the man!
Cardinals’ Weaknesses
1. Exploitable offensive line
There’s been a reason for the Cardinals offensive struggles at times this season, and a large part falls on the offensive line. While Kyler Murray can scramble from danger and extend plays, a constant barrage of defensive pressure is never conducive to consistent offensive production. With center Rodney Hudson, guard Justin Pugh, and LT DJ Humphries all questionable for Sunday, there is potential to dominate an already struggling offensive line unit.
2. Pass defense
While the Cardinals rank near the top of the league in stopping the run, the same can’t be said in pass defense. In the bottom half of total pass D, this corps of young struggling Cardinals corners should be a major point of attack for any offense they take the field against. Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson are nice, but it seems they aren’t being deployed by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in a way beneficial to team pass defense. Even more so, the pass rush has been severely lacking against opposing quarterbacks, making the secondary easy pickings for starters capable of standing in the pocket and allowing plays to develop.
3. Offensive Coaching
Almost undeniably, a major reason for the Cardinals early offensive struggles has been the absolutely horrid offensive gameplay sing and play calling. Kliff Kingsbury is on the hot seat, and for good reason; with such a highly talented offensive roster, the scheme seems to completely rely on saying “Kyler makes magic happen” and hoping for the best. Kingsbury doesn’t seem to be too keen on being creative or adjusting to opposing defenses, so playing simple, disciplined defense has seemed to do wonders in shutting down AZ early in games.
Eagles Weaknesses
1. Key Injuries
As has been the case for the last few previews, it’s almost impossible to find weaknesses for this team. However, if there is one thing that could hurt the birds this week, it’s the injuries sustained on both sides of the ball. Darius Slay should make his return, but two very important players in Avonte Maddox and Jordan Mailata chances to play seem to be trending down. Mailata is less of a problem, as the Bird’s line depth is crazy, but Maddox being out in a much more pass friendly environment could be a point to attack for opposing offenses.
2. Special teams
Again, a nitpick, but now with Jake Elliot out, it’s a real problem. Siposs and the ount unit are still weak, and while Covey has been improving, there’s still a big disparity in starting field position on punts. It always sucks to lose a pro bowl kicker as well, and hopefully Dicker can fill in where needed.
Keys to victory
1. Contain K1
If there’s one thing Kyler handles well, it’s pressure. For that reason, I see no need to blitz against an offensive line that will give up pressure naturally to a 4 man rush, and I believe the main defensive focus should be preventing Kyler from scrambling and making magic whenever possible. It sounds funny to say, but I’d much rather have Kyler throwing in the “structure” of Kliff’s offense than taking things into his own hands.
2. Attack the corners
This is the case almost every week, but the Eagles have a clear matchup advantage with their wideouts against the AZ corners. Jalen should continue to trust his stud playmakers, and exploit the clear talent disparities that will become apparent in one on one matchups. If that happens, we will easily see another huge offensive performance.
Score Prediction
As Jalen Hurts said, this AZ team is not something that we should overlook. They have real talent on both sides of the ball, and while their season so far hasn’t been the way they’d want it, that can flip on a dime. The true X factor here is Kyler, who is almost impossible to contain for 60 minutes of football – but at the same time, I’m done doubting Jonathan Gannon.
Score: 32-17 Eagles
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Noah Berger is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Noah, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
