Sunday is not going to be easy. The Cardinals have a four game winning streak and the Eagles have won three consecutive games by their own rights. Barring a second tie for the 2013 NFL season, one of these two teams will see their streak come to an end.
The Cardinals present challenges in all three facets of the game. Their defense is a scary group of size, speed and turnover making ability. They can shut down receivers that are both big and fast. Patterson and the Honey Badger are carrying over what they did at LSU to the pro level. The defense as a whole minimizes running backs from the big play. Former Eagles defensive back coach/interim defensive coach and now Arizona defensive head coach knows plenty about the strengths and weaknesses of Nick Foles.
An area of struggle and one I feel the Eagles have the personal to attack is their ability to defend tight ends. The linebackers for the Cardinals are very athletic, but are used more with blitz schemes and defending running lanes rather than their coverage skills. We have had a small sampling of what Ertz can do, and a spotting of Casey here and there while Celek continues to be used more and more as a blocker. Will Kelly look at the leagues worse defense against the tight-end and see an area to attack come Sunday?
On the offensive side of the football, Carson Palmer has done a better job as of late with throwing the football. The Cardinals have size with their two primary receivers in Pro-Bowler Fitzgerald and second year player Michael Floyd. Floyd had stepped up his game in recent weeks with defenses attempting to minimize damage from Fitzgerald. Rob Housler at the tight-end position has been a safety valve for Palmer and has some athletic ability the Eagles will need to pay attention to. I’m not overly concerned with the running game that Mendy and Ellington bring to the table, but the pass catching and second burst of Ellington can’t be something that catches the Eagles defense off-guard.
My defensive approach would be to attack the mediocre Arizona offensive line with an increased number of blitzes. When Palmer is forced to shuffle his feet, he can force throws and opportunities for interceptions will be there. Cary Williams and Fletcher should not give a free 10-12 yards of space off the line to these bigger receivers or they will cut their routes short and make us pay. Boykin is seeing the field really well, and he should be able to reduce damage from Housler and Roberts.
My offensive approach would be to get the ball into the playmakers hands. I liked the bubble screen to Celek the other week, maybe this week it’s Ertz or Casey on the receiving end. Keep D-Jax in motion, and allow for Cooper to run those quick double moves that Foles continues to find him with. 22-25 total touches for McCoy is what I want to see moving forward. Will two weeks be enough time for Brad Smith to potentially add something to the mix?
The Eagles are coming off their bye week. A time to reflect on the season to date and grab a meal or two that does not fall under the Kelly nutritional plan.
Our last victory ended the drought of not winning at Lincoln Financial Field. How will this team look when welcoming a 7-4 Arizona team who just dismantled the Indianapolis Colts?
What has Kelly done to keep his players focused? The announcement of Foles as the starting quarterback moving forward did more for media headlines then for closure in the Eagles locker room.
As every week has been thus far with the 2014 Eagles, I’m generally excited for what I’m going to see on the football field.
Week three against the Chiefs was the first chess game with a former 2013 Philadelphia coach returning to the Linc.
Will Chip Kelly even the score and declare “check mate” with his second go of it come Sunday?
You covered it all Jeff TE position is whole key to offense zack ertz needs to prove himself today kelly has to get him involved big time you know djack gonna dissapear sunday hope coop keeps improving not worried bout our defense be hot if davis doesnt utilize lotta blitz schemes I think we win this one and i think d comes up big
Jackson is on pace for 1500 yards. When has he disappeared this season please tell me?
Palmer and the cards beat one top defense with their victory over the Panthers. So much has been said that Foles has not been tested yet, and I don’t want to be redundant, but you can only beat who you are scheduled to play. Enough….we are playing a really good defense, the Cardinals are playing really good football. The Eagles are still such a mystery as nobody knew what to expect with Kelly and how we finished the last 2 seasons. What were the Cardinals suppose to be this season? They lost to Sea, SF and NO all by double digits, so they are flawed just as the Eagles are in the areas we could all list. This is a statement game, nit so much about beating the Cardinals, but with winning a gam after the bye week, continuing to make the Linc a place team don’t want to visit. This is what I want as a fan, a worry that the team we are facing is as good or better than us, but that we have enough tools and a coach that is smart enough to lead us to victory. Let’s go! Let’s go… I’m fired up, I believe and I’m looking at nothing more than our Sunday match-up. One game at a time, Kelly would want us as a fan base to stay grounded just like him.
If Dallas wins today, then the pressure is on.
Dallas beat a rag-tag Oakland team…smh…we have to keep up! The pressure is on…its a playoff race we need to beat the Cardinals!
This will be a true litmus test for both squads …being home the big advantage ..the cards body clock will be set at 11am for a 1pm start…punch a sleepy bunch in the mouth ,play physical and ,not committing turnovers will be key.Foles will face a very big ,quick defense ,taht has shown one Achilles ,tight ends.I expect chip to exploit that and take deep shots down the middle of this defense.One key is to seize a lead ,as Arizona ,not a prolific scoring team ,albeit they put up points ,indoors against a weak Colts team last week.Carson Palmer with help from Fitzgerald won’t be an easy task …bird vs bird ..let’s take the momentum early and let the crowd get involved …Special teams will be highlighted ,and what once was an NFC east opponent ,will be reminded this is the Lincoln financial field where there’s no dome ..two young coaches ,both showing the rest of the league ,we are in the mix ..in the NFC picture .it will be the coming out party for the 3 tight ends ..and shady ..with desean silencing the cards ,who will fold em …two physical defenses…turnovers …and a season shaping game for both…it’s going to be great …looking forward to it …
Fitzgerald is crazy Scary. The only other reciieving threat in the league that scares me like that is Megatron. He can take the game over by himeself, and I am thinking that he is absolutely going to abuse Boykin, and our other coners. I can see this being a defensive game. I think this defense limits us on the score board. Foles get hurried in the pocket early, and struggles. This is going to be a close one. I think Chip leans on McCoy, and the short pass to the tight ends to keep the D honest. Eagles win 23-14
Thanks for the article jeff…I’ll take from here.
The Eagles have to Run McCoy and set up the play action pass. No side line to side line crap..Strait ahead a wear out the cardinal defense, then go up top.
On defense they need to blitz the lead foot palmer early and often.
Dallas is holding all tie breakers with the Eagles, so this is a must win situation. (I love football cliches and their war like metaphors)…
Want some more…
Who ever wins the turnover battle will likely win the game.
If Nick Foles protects the football the Eagles have a chance to win.
If we can get Shady McCoy “in space” he can be hard to stop.
It’s a game of inches…
The Eagles must “take what the defense gives us”…
LOL…
Happy Thanksgiving…!!!
Must win crunch time for us! This is where we see if Foles has what it takes…we have to win and we can’t be one dimensional against a defense like the Cardinals…we need Shady on his game
Nah this game doesn’t define nicks career bro. It’s all about progression and body of work. This game means no more no less than those he previously started
This has been a completely waste of a season for the eagles they are not bad enough to get a high draft pick, and not good enough to compete for a championship. The future of this team is the fact they will never be good enough to win a championship they are stuck in mediocrity. The front office has zero long term goals for this team to ever compete for a title.
Disagree Mac. They have potentially found the future qb of the team, the offense is clicking but could be even better and the defense is starting to play better. All with not all the righ players that they need. I would give it another draft and off season before I state that there is no direction because it clearly looks like they have a direction to me. And meanwhile they could make the playoffs this year after winning 4 games last year. This ain’t the NBA where you have to tank to get good players.
Mac the upcoming games tell us if we have found the future qb of the team. If Nick Foles plays anywhere near the level he has played in these upcoming games has he played against teams that are no where near playoff contention…then we know that we have a franchise Qb..and he is the real deal.
Arizona, Detroit, Dallas…are teams that are contending for the playoffs this year…Foles needs to lead the team to some wins and demonstrate that he is the guy.
Win Now…get it done…show that you can be a clutch performer in a tough situation against a team that’s fighting for a shot. This is what we need to see over the next two weeks!
You say the same thing every week, you said it with the redskins game, Oakland too. You are waiting for Foles to have an average game and the Eagles to lose to say see Foles is not good. You’re so transparent it’s comical. To say one game will define somebody as a franchise QB is dumb. If that’s the case he became a franchise QB when he beat the skins to put us into first place. If the Eagles win tomorrow and Foles plays well you will be on here next week with the same old rap. “Oh the pressure is on is Foles gonna step up or fold under the pressure, this is a defining moment blah blah blah. You are comically predictable.
Eaglehaslanded you can whine all you want! Your the one that’s predictable because you and a lot others want a soft, crushy acceptance for Nick Foles…’give the kid a break’ mentality! Well it wont wash…we are in a playoff race and the kid has to play near the same level he has already shown in order to be consider has a franchise QB. . I look at this as a perfect way for the Eagles to find out if Nick Foles is the future of this franchise. You cant ask for a better test!! I want to go to the playoffs so I’m pulling for the kid…I hope he pasts the tests and leads us in the playoffs. I dont want another Tony Romo here.. a guy who looks so good when there is no pressure…but as soon as its crunch time he folds up!! .I need to see Foles perform well under the pressure of a playoff race. Do or die! Get the job done…no excuses…no breaks!
Koolbreeze ,AKA Hot Air, you’re the whiner, whining about what you want to see from Foles week after week…no one cares what you want to see, as if Chip Kelly is concerned with what you think. As I stated before; you are predictable because you state the same criteria post after post…the only thing that changes is the team in your diatribes. You’re pulling for him my ass you can’t wait to pounce after an interrception, fumble or loss., Let’s say Foles isn’t the guy, who do you want to take the reigns? No QB is guaranteed. Roll with the kid through his ups and downs because he’s gonna have them like Luck and RG3! Speaking of RG3 what do you think of him? Based on your criteria he must not be a franchise QB either! Perhaps last year was beginners luck and now we see the real RG3. Do I think that…no, however, your criteria makes it so in your world!
Jeff Lurie is the guy that signs the Eagles paychecks. When Michael Vick was injured Jeff Lurie said:
“We know — this is no secret — quarterback is the (ultimate) position and the most important difference-maker.”– “We need someone to step up, whether it’s an existing young quarterback or somebody we go out and acquire.”
Lurie made those remarks three days before Nick Foles threw for 7 TDs vs. the Raiders. As far as I’m concerned Foles answered any questions about his ability to play under pressure. When the owner says to “put-up” and you answer with 7 TDs, you can play under pressure.
Now we need to know how consistent Foles can be. If the Eagles win this week it will be five in a row. That’s something that hasn’t happened in a long time.
Mac Dolo’s Post nay be the dumbest Post I have ever read on here
The Eagłes are in a pisition to get into the Playoffs for the first time in a couple Olof years. Playing meaningful games in December
How can you say this Season was a waste…
You have a Youbg QB who is playing very well, showing great leadership and field prescence am while running Coach Kelly’s System pretty damn well
A young Defense really coming together and pkaying well of late
An explosive Offense, securing the ball, cutting down on Stupid Penalties
An improving Special Teams units..
This is why the Coach’s, Players put in all the practices and hours preparing to be competitive.. If you can’t see all the Positive’s from this Season,
Then you are not an Eagłes or a very knowledgeable Foitball Fan..
Why don’t you take the logical leap paulman, he’s one of many, skayne biglion, sorry to leave others out, they want this qb to fail
Keep me out of your posts idiot #2. So I won’t have to expose your dumb ass again.
Great post old school , we have a great potential here, great reference to lurie’s comments, let’s go eagles
Regardless, do not let these frustrated posters ruin what is gret going on here, it’s the first time since Randall was under center and all those great defensive players, we have something great to root for, thanks paulman
We should approach it with a losing attitude, right Jeff?
gcobb. com/2013/11/01/beneficial-eagles-lose/