Countdown to Kickoff: Eagles at Cardinals
5...PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz - After playing 123 games with the Eagles over nine seasons (2013-21), Ertz will face his former team for the first time.
One of the top pass catchers in Philadelphia franchise history, Ertz set the Eagles' single-season record for receptions in 2018 (116) and ranks second all-time in career receptions (579) behind Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael. Ertz also scored the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' Super Bowl LII win vs. New England.
Cardinals QB Kyle Murray - There are currently three former Oklahoma QBs starting in the NFL: Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield (Carolina), and Jalen Hurts (the Eagles). Murray has a combined 4-0 record against Mayfield (3-0) and Hurts (1-0).
Cardinals DL Zach Allen - When Allen last faced the Eagles in Week 15 of 2020 he had 11 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a QB hit, and a pass defended. He joined Willie McGinest and Warren Sapp as the only NFL defensive lineman ever to have at least 11 tackles, a sack, and a pass defended in a game.
Eagles Edge Rusher Hasson Reddick - The former No. 13 overall pick in 2017 returns to face the organization that chose him one spot ahead of where the Eagles selected Derek Barnett but promptly wasted him for three seasons by trying to make Reddick an off-ball linebacker. The Cards finally led him loose in 2020 and he’s had 27 sacks since behind only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, and Aaron Donald.
Eagles CB James Bradberry - Bradberry leads the NFL, allowing a 27.4 passer rating when QBs target receivers the veteran is checking. Bradberry baited Trevor Lawrence into an interception last week and faces a Cards team that has struggled to move the football consistently without star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
4...MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray - Obviously, they aren’t playing each other but the connections between the two signal-callers are strong. Both played high school football in Texas where Murray led Dallas-area Allen High School to a perfect 43-0 record and earned National Player of the Year honors from Gatorade, Parade, and USA Today. Hurts was ESPN’s top-ranked dual-threat QB in the state at Houston-area Channelview High School.
After starting their college careers elsewhere (Murray at Texas A&M and Hurts at Alabama), both had breakout seasons at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley before entering the NFL draft in back-to-back seasons. In 2018, Murray won the Heisman Trophy before being selected No. 1 overall by the Cardinals. In 2019, Hurts finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and was then taken in the second round by the Eagles.
Murray and Hurts first faced each other as pros in Week 15 of the 2020 season when Murray led the Cardinals to a 33-26 victory in Hurts' second NFL start. The game was a shootout in which the two combined for 836 total yards and eight TDs.
Hurts vs. Cardinals’ Front Seven - The Arizona front is coming off a big game against Carolina, combining for 2.0 sacks, an INT, seven passes defended, three tackles for loss, three QB hits, and a fumble recovery. Allen (3) and J.J. Watt (2) had multiple batdowns and the latter is one of the best ever when it comes to an issue that has hindered Hurts in the past.
Eagles’ Third Down Defense vs. Cardinals’ Third-Down Offense - One of the few trouble spots for Philadelphia’s defense through the first month has been stopping teams on third down. The Eagles are allowing conversions at a 42% rate, 21st in the leagues. Arizona, though, has been worse than that from an offensive perspective, converting at a 31% rate, a dismal 29th. Something has to give.
Eagles’ Red-Zone Offense vs. Cardinals’ Red-Zone Defense - This is strength vs. weakness with Philadelphia being a top-10 unit at 64.7% (No. 9) and Arizona coming in at 25th, allowing opponents to score 71.4% of the time. The Eagles hope this matchup follows the trends.
3...THINGS TO KNOW
-For younger fans who don’t know the Cardinals used to be a member of the NFC East and their series with the Eagles dates back even further than that to 1935. The Cardinals' 58 regular season wins vs. Philadelphia are more than they have against any other NFL franchise.
-The Cardinals have won six of the last eight vs. Philadelphia and enter Sunday's contest having won five consecutive home games against the Eagles, who have never won at State Farm Stadium since it opened in 2006.
-Under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals have never lost to a team from the NFC East. Arizona enters Sunday's game with a 6-0 record vs. the NFC East dating back to 2019.
2...X-FACTORS
For the Eagles: Kicker Cameron Dicker - The rookie kicker will be the emergency replacement for an injured Jake Elliott (right ankle) meaning Nick Sirianni will probably be even more aggressive on fourth downs than usual. If you need a kick late, however, Dicker spent four years making some big ones at the University of Texas. The Eagles hope that translates.
For the Cardinals: Kicker Matt Ammendola - The Cards lost their veteran kicker, Matt Prater, to a hip injury last week and have brought in Ammendola, an already well-traveled option who failed with the New York Jets in 2021 and most recently missed a field goal and an extra point as an emergency replacement for Harrison Butker in Kansas City earlier this season.
1...PREDICTIONS
John McMullen (4-0, 1-3 vs. the spread) - It’s logical to want to pick the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's game. In the parity-driven NFL, the contest shapes up as a trap game with NFC East-rival Dallas looming in Week 6 while the Cards' recent struggles at home dating back to last season scream market correction, and the Eagles probably aren’t going 17-0.
Even Hurts seems to sense a letdown. After a presser filled with Manningcast questions and film about Tom Brady, the Eagles’ MVP candidate felt the need to remind everyone about the Cardinals on Sunday.
It might be uglier than expected but the Eagles should out-talent the Cards.
EAGLES 28, CARDINALS 20
Ed Kracz (3-1, 2-2 vs. the spread) - The words of A.J. Brown are ringing in my head. When asked during Thursday's locker room session about the Eagles inability to win at State Farm Stadium since it opened in 2006 0- going 0-4 there - he responded, in a matter-of-fact manner, that "Nobody cares. That's in the past."
He's right.
Yet, the Eagles are not going 17-0. They will lose somewhere along the way. Maybe it's at home against Dallas on Oct. 16. Maybe it's here, but I don't think so.
The Eagles' roster is flat-out better.
EAGLES 33, CARDINALS 22
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
