Philadelphia Eagles @ Arizona Cardinals
Preview:
The Eagles are in the process of closing out their nightmarish season by playing their last road game of the season. What was expected to be a team that would be able to solidly defend their NFC Championship title, has become a team filled with injuries, controversy, and losses. The Eagles, however, are coming off a tough fought road win against the Rams last week. After being completely embarrassed 2 weeks ago on Monday night against the Seahawks, McMahon appears to be playing more to his abilities. The Eagles have also found a surprising replacement for Westbrook in Moats. The Eagles veteran defense continues to play with pride and heart. Can the Eagles feed off last week and end the season on a positive note, or is having to win two road victories in a row too much to ask for out of a team with nothing to play for.
After commending the Cardinals for playing hard several games in a row against quality teams, they decided to lay an egg last week against a horrible Texans team. Their number 1 passing attack was off to a quick start last week with Warner completing all of his 11 passes, but after his injury, the passing game took too long to recoup. The Cardinals defense was playing with great intensity until they traveled to play on the road against the lowly Texans. Can the Cardinals come back home and re-find their intensity, or was last week?s lackluster performance a message that the Cardinals have packed it in?
Play: Cardinals -1
Comment:
Pros:
Expect the Cardinals number 1 passing attack to still be successful even without Warner throwing the ball. Expect the Cardinals to successfully utilize the best receiving tandem in football against a depleted Eagles secondary. McCown, a quarterback unable to play last week, should be able to return to the lineup and be effective. The added mobility he possess that Warner lacked, will benefit the Cardinals offense to fend off a blitz happy Eagles defense. This will allow him to buy time, and allow the Eagles receivers to get open on second and third level passing plays. Although the Cardinals line has suffered in pass protection and against blitzes, last week in the second half they started using max protection schemes. They are one of the few teams who can use this, and still enable consistent attractive receiving options to be open downfield for the quarterback. Expect them to continue to utilize this protection scheme to fend off the Eagles blitzers, making the Eagles secondary vulnerable defending the deep play. The Eagles corners are small and have the tendency to play well off their men. This bodes well for both Boldin and Fitzgerald, two big receivers who do really well finding zones against soft coverage?s. The Cardinals have one of the worst running games in football, but have proven capable of constantly moving the ball when utilizing a one dimensional passing attack. Expect the Eagles to heavily focus on defending the pass. This will allow the Cardinals to get some attractive opportunities running the ball and staying two dimensional. Expect the Cardinals to use a lot of screens and draws to fend of the Eagles corner blitzers as well. All in all, the Eagles secondary should be overmatched against the Cardinals quality passing game. This mismatch should allow for many scoring opportunities for the Cardinals, and will also allow them to stay in the game and be able to comeback from a potential deficit.
The Cardinals defense plays at an entirely higher level when playing at home. They seem to blitz more, tackle better, and play with a much higher intensity. This does not bode well for McMahon, a quarterback who constantly struggles against aggressive blitzing schemes. Expect the Cardinals to be successful flustering McMahon in the pocket, making the possibility of potential turnovers to definitely be in the cards. The Eagles lack the quality receivers or accuracy in their quarterback to successfully chip away yards via the passing game in a similar fashion to how the Texans exploited the Cardinals defense in the first half of last weeks game. Although Moats has been a pleasant surprise for the Eagles running game, his stats have been more of a product of poor tackling than good running. Although the Cardinals front seven has the tendency to wear down late in games, Moats lacks the size and consistency to successfully wear down the unit. The Cardinals also do an excellent job stacking the box with Wilson and utilizing the run blitz to take out the interior run game. This is most effective against undersized speed backs like Moats. The bottom line is to expect the Cardinals intensity to once again rise at home. Their ability to stack the box and put pressure on the quarterback and stop the interior run will prevent the Eagles from constantly scoring. This does not bode well for a team who is severely overmatched on defense when defending the pass.
The Cardinals have a huge psychological edge as well. As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals play a lot harder at home. This is their last home game of the season, making me think that the chances of them throwing in the towel are slim. This is also a big game for McCown to prove his worthiness. This might be his last game as a starter this season, so expect him to do his best trying to make a statement to teams around the NFL. It?s hard to bet on cellar teams coming off a road win, and now playing another road game. This is the situation the Eagles are in. The Eagles just got done winning an east coast road game, and now have to travel across country to play another meaningless game against another losing team. If history serves right, the Eagles should lack the intensity needed to win an NFL game. They also have a home game against their hated rivals the Redskins next week. In that game they could play the role of spoiler, and also avenge their loss earlier in the season against their rivals. Don?t be surprised if they are leaving a lot in the tank for that game, and/or looking ahead to that game.
Cons:
The Cardinals passing game is much less effective with McCown in. Although he provides the Cardinals with mobility and the ability to bounce out of the pocket, he has the tendency of holding onto the ball too long, staring down receivers, and making passes into double coverage. This leads me to believe the Eagles defense will get a lot more sack and interception opportunities this game. The Eagles also have one of the best defenses defending a one dimensional offense. Their ability to throw exotic blitzing schemes at the quarterback and offensive line makes them extremely hard to block on a consistent basis. The Eagles have been implementing the same game plan the last two weeks as the Texans used to beat the Cardinals last week. McMahon seems to be much more effective with the 3 step drops and quick passes. If the Cardinals elect to play well off their man like they did last week, this passing game will be effective. The Cardinals also showed poor tackling techniques last week. Moats has proven in both his games that he could make a poor tackling team pay. He has big play ability, while the Cardinals aggressive run blitzes makes their second level run defense vulnerable. If he is able to get by the first level, expect a lot o big plays out of the Eagles run game. Lastly, the Cardinals special teams are the worst in football. Their kick coverage team is pathetic, and constantly allows opposing offenses to start drives in good field position. Their punt coverage is equally as bad. Don?t be surprised if the special teams are the difference between a Cardinals win and loss.
Conclusion:
In a game that consists of two bad teams with nothing to play for, a lay down by one team is a possibility. Saturday will be the last game the Cardinals play in a home their have defended well all year. Saturday will be the Eagles second road game in a row, and their last road game, as they have an opportunity to play spoiler next week at home. The signs point to the Eagles laying down in this game. Add to the mix that the Cardinals have the fundamental advantages as well, and they make for an attractive bet in my opinion. I will gladly add them to a diversified card on Saturday.
Preview:
The Eagles are in the process of closing out their nightmarish season by playing their last road game of the season. What was expected to be a team that would be able to solidly defend their NFC Championship title, has become a team filled with injuries, controversy, and losses. The Eagles, however, are coming off a tough fought road win against the Rams last week. After being completely embarrassed 2 weeks ago on Monday night against the Seahawks, McMahon appears to be playing more to his abilities. The Eagles have also found a surprising replacement for Westbrook in Moats. The Eagles veteran defense continues to play with pride and heart. Can the Eagles feed off last week and end the season on a positive note, or is having to win two road victories in a row too much to ask for out of a team with nothing to play for.
After commending the Cardinals for playing hard several games in a row against quality teams, they decided to lay an egg last week against a horrible Texans team. Their number 1 passing attack was off to a quick start last week with Warner completing all of his 11 passes, but after his injury, the passing game took too long to recoup. The Cardinals defense was playing with great intensity until they traveled to play on the road against the lowly Texans. Can the Cardinals come back home and re-find their intensity, or was last week?s lackluster performance a message that the Cardinals have packed it in?
Play: Cardinals -1
Comment:
Pros:
Expect the Cardinals number 1 passing attack to still be successful even without Warner throwing the ball. Expect the Cardinals to successfully utilize the best receiving tandem in football against a depleted Eagles secondary. McCown, a quarterback unable to play last week, should be able to return to the lineup and be effective. The added mobility he possess that Warner lacked, will benefit the Cardinals offense to fend off a blitz happy Eagles defense. This will allow him to buy time, and allow the Eagles receivers to get open on second and third level passing plays. Although the Cardinals line has suffered in pass protection and against blitzes, last week in the second half they started using max protection schemes. They are one of the few teams who can use this, and still enable consistent attractive receiving options to be open downfield for the quarterback. Expect them to continue to utilize this protection scheme to fend off the Eagles blitzers, making the Eagles secondary vulnerable defending the deep play. The Eagles corners are small and have the tendency to play well off their men. This bodes well for both Boldin and Fitzgerald, two big receivers who do really well finding zones against soft coverage?s. The Cardinals have one of the worst running games in football, but have proven capable of constantly moving the ball when utilizing a one dimensional passing attack. Expect the Eagles to heavily focus on defending the pass. This will allow the Cardinals to get some attractive opportunities running the ball and staying two dimensional. Expect the Cardinals to use a lot of screens and draws to fend of the Eagles corner blitzers as well. All in all, the Eagles secondary should be overmatched against the Cardinals quality passing game. This mismatch should allow for many scoring opportunities for the Cardinals, and will also allow them to stay in the game and be able to comeback from a potential deficit.
The Cardinals defense plays at an entirely higher level when playing at home. They seem to blitz more, tackle better, and play with a much higher intensity. This does not bode well for McMahon, a quarterback who constantly struggles against aggressive blitzing schemes. Expect the Cardinals to be successful flustering McMahon in the pocket, making the possibility of potential turnovers to definitely be in the cards. The Eagles lack the quality receivers or accuracy in their quarterback to successfully chip away yards via the passing game in a similar fashion to how the Texans exploited the Cardinals defense in the first half of last weeks game. Although Moats has been a pleasant surprise for the Eagles running game, his stats have been more of a product of poor tackling than good running. Although the Cardinals front seven has the tendency to wear down late in games, Moats lacks the size and consistency to successfully wear down the unit. The Cardinals also do an excellent job stacking the box with Wilson and utilizing the run blitz to take out the interior run game. This is most effective against undersized speed backs like Moats. The bottom line is to expect the Cardinals intensity to once again rise at home. Their ability to stack the box and put pressure on the quarterback and stop the interior run will prevent the Eagles from constantly scoring. This does not bode well for a team who is severely overmatched on defense when defending the pass.
The Cardinals have a huge psychological edge as well. As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals play a lot harder at home. This is their last home game of the season, making me think that the chances of them throwing in the towel are slim. This is also a big game for McCown to prove his worthiness. This might be his last game as a starter this season, so expect him to do his best trying to make a statement to teams around the NFL. It?s hard to bet on cellar teams coming off a road win, and now playing another road game. This is the situation the Eagles are in. The Eagles just got done winning an east coast road game, and now have to travel across country to play another meaningless game against another losing team. If history serves right, the Eagles should lack the intensity needed to win an NFL game. They also have a home game against their hated rivals the Redskins next week. In that game they could play the role of spoiler, and also avenge their loss earlier in the season against their rivals. Don?t be surprised if they are leaving a lot in the tank for that game, and/or looking ahead to that game.
Cons:
The Cardinals passing game is much less effective with McCown in. Although he provides the Cardinals with mobility and the ability to bounce out of the pocket, he has the tendency of holding onto the ball too long, staring down receivers, and making passes into double coverage. This leads me to believe the Eagles defense will get a lot more sack and interception opportunities this game. The Eagles also have one of the best defenses defending a one dimensional offense. Their ability to throw exotic blitzing schemes at the quarterback and offensive line makes them extremely hard to block on a consistent basis. The Eagles have been implementing the same game plan the last two weeks as the Texans used to beat the Cardinals last week. McMahon seems to be much more effective with the 3 step drops and quick passes. If the Cardinals elect to play well off their man like they did last week, this passing game will be effective. The Cardinals also showed poor tackling techniques last week. Moats has proven in both his games that he could make a poor tackling team pay. He has big play ability, while the Cardinals aggressive run blitzes makes their second level run defense vulnerable. If he is able to get by the first level, expect a lot o big plays out of the Eagles run game. Lastly, the Cardinals special teams are the worst in football. Their kick coverage team is pathetic, and constantly allows opposing offenses to start drives in good field position. Their punt coverage is equally as bad. Don?t be surprised if the special teams are the difference between a Cardinals win and loss.
Conclusion:
In a game that consists of two bad teams with nothing to play for, a lay down by one team is a possibility. Saturday will be the last game the Cardinals play in a home their have defended well all year. Saturday will be the Eagles second road game in a row, and their last road game, as they have an opportunity to play spoiler next week at home. The signs point to the Eagles laying down in this game. Add to the mix that the Cardinals have the fundamental advantages as well, and they make for an attractive bet in my opinion. I will gladly add them to a diversified card on Saturday.
