October 06, 2017
For the second straight week, the Eagles nearly blew a fourth quarter lead, but once again they were able to hang on for the win, this time a 26-24 win over the Chargers.
Thanks to losses by all three of their NFC East foes, the Birds (3-1) now stand alone atop the division through the first quarter of the NFL season.
This week, they'll face a Cardinals team that is 2-2, but has needed some late-game heroics in each of its wins. And speaking of Arizona's pair of overtime wins, they've come against two of the worst teams in the NFL, the Colts (1-3) and the 49ers (0-4).
Perhaps that's why most experts are picking the Eagles to win on Sunday and remain in first place, including every single person (and computer) at ESPN.
Unfortunately, we only have to look back to a few days to see why that could make some fans nervous...
This is getting old.
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 1, 2017
JK no it's not. 😎 #GoBills pic.twitter.com/mWV1JyxGfC
And although you'll find more of the same below, here’s how we see Sunday’s game playing out:
TV: FOX | RADIO: 94.1 WIP
SPREAD: Eagles (-6.5) | TOTAL: 45 (via Bovada)
As we noted in our five matchups to watch, the Cardinals' offensive line is an absolute mess, and they are going to have their hands full trying to block an Eagles defensive line that might be getting Fletcher Cox back this week.
[UPDATE: They probably won't be getting Cox back this week -- doesn't change the pick.]
The Arizona Cardinals have needed overtime to grab both their wins this season, and considering the state of the teams they beat (Colts, 49ers), they could easily be 0-4 had they played a marginally tougher schedule.
Without David Johnson, the Cardinals have had little to offer in the run game, and you can’t count on a 37-year-old Carson Palmer to win you games week after week. Larry Fitzgerald will inevitably tear the Eagles apart, as is tradition, but if Palmer drops back 51 times, as he did against San Francisco in Week 4, I’ll bet on the Eagles taking advantage of that in one way or another.
I’m not necessarily sold on this Eagles team, but I feel good about their chances this week.
It's hard to know what to make of this one in terms of how it fits into the bigger picture. The Eagles will have a short turnaround after Sunday, as they'll travel to Carolina to face the 3-1 Panthers on Thursday Night Football. So in that sense, it could be a trap game for the Birds. And the Cardinals are not a terrible team – even though both their wins came in overtime.
Larry Fitzgerald may have just turned 34, but he's absolutely owned the Eagles in his career. In seven career regular season games, Fitzgerald has scored eight times (1.14 TD/game) and has caught 41 passes (5.9 receptions/game) for 693 yards (99 yards/game). The touchdown and yards averages are his best against any opponent he's faced at least five times.
Against an Eagles secondary that has struggled, especially in the second half of games, and will be without Fletcher Cox again this week, Fitzgerald could have a big afternoon.
That being said, I thought Philip Rivers was going to have a big week last week against the Eagles. And after a rough start, he actually did. It just wanna enough to beat the Birds. I see a similar scenario unfolding this week – and the Eagles improving to 4-1 on the season. They're just the better team.
Of course, there's always this...
Cards have won 5 of the last 6 meetings, dating to the 2008 NFCCG.
— Jamie Parker (@em26jamie) October 6, 2017
CARDINALS' LAST 6 GAMES VS. EAGLES
| DATE | GM | W-L | ARZ | PHI |
| 12/20/15 | @ PHI | W | 40 | 17 |
| 10/26/14 | vs. PHI | W | 24 | 20 |
| 12/01/13 | @ PHI | L | 21 | 24 |
| 09/23/12 | vs. PHI | W | 27 | 6 |
| 11/13/11 | @ PHI | W | 21 | 17 |
| 01/18/09 | vs. PHI | W | 32 | 25 |
*BOLD = NFC Championship Game
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