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Domo's Eagles-Cardinals scouting report

    by Paul Domowitch
    Published 

Paul Domowitch's Eagles-Cardinals scouting report:

WHEN THE EAGLES RUN THE BALL
The Eagles have rushed for 348 yards the last two games, including 203 in their shutout win over the Giants. But it’s going to be tough sledding against the Cardinals, who own the league’s No. 1-ranked run defense. They have held opponents to 72.5 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry. LeSean McCoy, who had averaged just 2.9 yards per carry in the first five games, got untracked against the Giants, rushing for 149 yards on 22 carries. McCoy had a season-high eight rushing first downs against the Giants, which was three more than he had in the previous three games combined. He also had six double-digit-yard runs. McCoy has been largely ineffective in the red zone, where he is averaging just 1.3 yards per carry. Darren Sproles has been a key contributor to the run game, particularly in light of McCoy’s struggles. He is averaging 6.6 yards per carry on 32 rushing attempts, but is recovering from an MCL knee sprain. He already has three rushing touchdowns, which equals his career high.
EDGE: Cardinals
WHEN THE EAGLES PASS THE BALL
While the Eagles’ passing game has had its share of hiccups, including Nick Foles’ 7 interceptions, they are averaging 262.3 yards per game through the air, which is more than last year and is the seventh most in the NFL. Their o-line already has 12 missed starts, but Foles has been sacked just 7 times, 4th fewest in the league. WR Jeremy Maclin is on pace to put up numbers very comparable to DeSean Jackson’s 2013 totals. Zach Ertz headed into the bye week with the second most third-down receptions in the league. That’s the good news. The bad news: Foles’ overall play hasn’t been nearly as good as it was a year ago when he led the league in passing. He’s had just 2 games with a 62-plus completion percentage, 1 game with a yards per attempt average above 8.0, and only 1 game without an interception. The Cardinals lost more than half their 2013 sack total to injuries, retirement, suspensions and free agency and have had trouble getting pressure on the QB (7 sacks). But they have 8 interceptions.
EDGE: Eagles
WHEN THE CARDINALS RUN THE BALL
The Cardinals don’t run the ball particularly well and aren’t very committed to it. They are averaging a middle-of-the-pack 26.6 carries per game. They are 26th in rushing yards per game (91.8) and 30th in yards per carry (3.4). Andre Ellington is a versatile runner and receiver. But he’s more effective as a pass-catcher when he can get out in space. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and has had 20 carries in a game just once this season. They lost their best between-the-tackles runner, Jonathan Dwyer, earlier this season when he was arrested on domestic violence charges. The Eagles have been inconsistent against the run this season. They’re giving up 4.2 yards per carry, which is nearly a half-yard more than last year. The 49ers put up 218 rushing yards on them in Week 4, and the Rams averaged 5.4 yards per carry in Week 5. But they did a good job against the Giants’ run game in Week 6, winning the battle in the trenches and holding them to 85 yards on 23 carries. They allowed just 2 rushing first downs.
EDGE: Eagles
WHEN THE CARDINALS PASS THE BALL
Not a lot of people understood why the Cardinals traded for interception-prone Carson Palmer last year. But Bruce Arians had an AFC North history with Palmer and felt the 34-year-old QB would be a good fit for his offense. In his last 15 starts dating back to last season, Palmer has a 102.1 passer rating. So far this year, he’s completed 66.1 percent of his passes and has thrown just one pick in 112 attempts. The Cardinals have a deep and talented receiving corps. The Eagles likely will spend much of the game in nickel and dime packages trying to defend the Cardinals 3-, 4- and 5-WR sets with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and rookie John Brown, and Ellington, who is averaging 10.4 yards per catch and a team-high 25 receptions. Fitzgerald works almost exclusively out of the slot these days. The Eagles have 16 sacks in their last 3 games, but the Cardinals have done a pretty good job of protecting the QB. Palmer has been sacked just 4 times in his 3 starts.
EDGE: Cardinals
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Eagles are first in the league in both KR (30.9) and PR (15.6) average, but both of their top returners – Darren Sproles and Chris Polk – are recovering from injuries and it’s not clear if or how much they will be used Sunday. Both Sproles and Polk have TD returns. Seven of Sproles’ 18 PRs have gained 16 or more yards. The Cardinals’ Ted Ginn Jr. is one of the league’s best return men. He has seven career TD returns, including a PR for a TD v. the Giants in Week 2. Both teams are going with rookie kickers and both teams are getting excellent production from them. The Eagles’ Cody Parkey has made 12 of 13 FG attempts, including a pair of 51-yarders, and has a decent 57.9 touchback percentage on kickoffs. The Cardinals’ Chandler Catanzaro, who replaced veteran Jay Feely, is 15-for-15 on FG attempts and has a 66.7 touchback percentage on kickoffs. Cardinals P Drew Butler is 29th in net average (36.8), but has had just 8 of 20 attempts returned.
EDGE: Even
INTANGIBLES
The Eagles are coming off a bye and are rested. They are expected to get their best defensive player, linebacker Mychal Kendricks, back for the game, which will be a big boost.The bye also gave running back/punt returner an extra week to recover from his MCL sprain. The Cardinals are 3-0 at home, including wins over San Diego and San Francisco.
EDGE: Eagles
Domo’s prediction: Cardinals 27, Eagles 24

KEY MATCHUPS

--Eagles nickel CB Brandon Boykin v. Cardinals slot WR Larry Fitzgerald.  Boykin is one of the league’s top inside corners. Fitzgerald has 10 TD catches in six games v. Eagles. Advantage: Cardinals
--Eagles RB LeSean McCoy v. Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Stopping McCoy will be Bowles’ No. 1 priority. His defense is ranked first in the league v. the run. Advantage: Cardinals
--Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin v. Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson. Maclin is on pace for his first 1,000-yard receiving season. Peterson is one of the league’s best corners. Advantage: Cardinals

HOT AND NOT

Hot
Eagles: RB LeSean McCoy. Rushed for a season-high 149 yards in Eagles’ Week 6 win over the Giants.
Cardinals: PK Chandler Catanzaro. Is first rookie in league history to convert his first 15 field goal attempts.
Not
Eagles: LB Marcus Smith. Has played just 50 defensive snaps in first 6 games. Has zero sacks, one QB hit and two hurries.
Cardinals: WR Larry Fitzgerald. Has just one TD catch and one game with more than 60 receiving yards.

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