By Rich Bergeron
Both the Eagles and Cardinals come into this contest at 5-1 and ready for an epic week eight clash. The Cardinals are 3-0 on their home turf in Arizona, but the Eagles are well-rested coming off a bye and full of positive energy after shutting out the Giants in week six.
The Eagles are certainly not reeling from the loss of Michael Vick this season as Nick Foles (141-237, 1,628 yards, 10 TDs, 7 INTs, 7 sacks) is off to an incredible start to the season. Jeremy Maclin (27 catches, 445 yards, 4 TDs) is also filling in nicely at receiver for the departed DeSean Jackson.
LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles have not been the dynamic duo many experts expected them to be in the backfield, but they’ve combined for 633 yards on 148 carries for 4 rushing scores. Sproles also has 198 yards on 16 catches, though he has no touchdown grabs yet. Sproles is listed as questionable for this contest with a knee injury, so he may not be a factor at all. McCoy has 74 yards on the same amount of catches, but he also has one lost fumble. Because of their dual rushing/passing threat, these two backs may be able to confound Arizona’s 2nd-ranked defense against the run (72.5 yards allowed per game) if they both play. If it’s just McCoy, look for Foles to step up with a higher passing rate.
Carson Palmer (72-112, 807 yards, 6 TDs, INT, 4 sacks) has somehow only managed to connect with Larry Fitzgerald (23 catches, 283 yards) for one touchdown on the season. The Cardinals’ 225.5 average passing yards per game ranks 21st in the NFL with the running game trailing behind at 26th in the league (91.8 average yards per game). It doesn’t help that the defense is 31st against the pass (giving up an average of 284.8 yards per game).
Michael Floyd leads the Cardinals offense in reception touchdowns (2) and yards (353) on just 19 catches. Running Back Andre Ellington (105 carries, 393 yards, TD) has an impressive 260 yards and a touchdown on 25 receptions. Floyd, Fitzgerald and Ellington are responsible for 39 of 71 first downs earned by the Cardinals through the air.
The Cardinals defense has 7 sacks and 8 interceptions so far on the season compared to 19 sacks and three picks for Philadelphia. Thirteen different players have scored for the Eagles this season other than the field goal kicker to just eight for the Cardinals.
Prediction: The Eagles are the first team to defeat the Cardinals at home this season, cruising to a 31-20 win. Nick Foles throws for over 400 yards and three touchdowns with McCoy rambling for over 100 yards on the ground and earning over 50 yards through the air, too. He gets the only rushing TD on the day and the field goal unit does the rest. Palmer and the Cardinals are just outclassed, and Palmer’s two interceptions really don’t help his squad stay on top of this one. The Eagles defense cracks down and helps their team keep pace with the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys. Palmer passes for one touchdown and Andre Ellington gets another on the ground, but all Arizona can do is engineer two field goal drives on the rest of their possessions.
