Eagles in a Battle Against Cardinals, Hold 14-10 Halftime Lead in Arizona

The Eagles did what they usually do in the first half this season.

They took a lead.

This one was dicey, though, as the Cardinals rallied from a two-touchdown deficit with 10 unanswered points to close to within 14-10 at halftime.

The Eagles haven’t trailed at halftime in all five games this season.

Missed tackles haunted them and a special teams unit that wasn’t ready for a fake punt on fourth-and-four helped the Cardinals storm back after Jalen Hurts had scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs to help the Eagles take a 14-0 lead with 10:11 to play in the second quarter.

Now, the Eagles are going to have to do something they have struggled to do for the first month of the season – score points in the second half.

They finally found a way to score in the fourth quarter last week, getting nine of them in the final quarter, the first time they had scored in that quarter, to help beat the Jaguars, 29-21 to remain the league’s only undefeated team at 4-0.

A year after running for 10 TDs, Hurts already has six, which is tied for the most by an Eagles player after five games since Tom Sullivan did it in 1974.

Arizona pulled to within 14-7 on a 25-yard TD from Kyler Murray to Marquise Brown, who turned a short throw over the middle on third-and-three into a 25-yard after missed tackles by linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

Hurts led the Eagles on an 11-play, 64-yard drive on the team’s first possession after the Eagles forced a punt after Arizona picked up a first down on their initial series.

The Eagles QB was 5-for-7 with 56 yards on the march, finding A.J. brown three times for 32 and tight end Dallas Goedert twice for 24 yards.

The Eagles’ second TD drive began at their own 13. Facing a third-and 13, Hurts slid to his left and threw across his body to hit DeVonta Smith for a 23-yard gain. Smith had another 19-yard reception on the drive that ended with Hurts second 1-yard plunge, this one with 10:11 to play in the second quarter.

The score grew to 14-0 when rookie kicker Cameron Dicker, filling in for injured Jake Elliott and making his NFL debut, drilled his second PAT of the game.

Dicker also put two of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

In other injury news, the Eagles lost left guard Landon Dickerson to a lower left leg injury after the first offensive series. Dickerson was listed as questionable to return.

Sua Opeta stepped in for him. Opeta had to come in for right guard Isaac Seumalo last week after Seumalo injured his ankle in the fourth quarter.

Veteran center Jason Kelce, making his 127th straight start, then limped off with 4:38 to play in the second quarter, replaced by rookie Cam Jurgens.

Without Jordan Mailata, who was ruled out on Saturday with a shoulder injury, the left side of the Eagles offensive line was manned by backups for most of the first half, with Jack Driscoll starting in place of Mailata and Opeta filling in for Dickerson.

Jalen Hurts started hot, completing 9-of-12 passes for 104 yards in the first quarter, but close the half with 25 completions in 22 attempts for 140 yards. He led the team in rushing with nine carries for 36 yards, but the Eagles had just 51 yards on the ground in 15 attempts.

Smith made five catches for 58 yards. Goedert had five for 37 yards.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw a first-quarter interception to safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, but the Eagles offense went three-and-out after starting at Arizona’s 35.

Murray was 15-for-25 in the first half for 138 yards and a TD to go along with his pick.

James Connor ran nine times for 55 yards.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.

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