By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia Eagles had the NFC East division championship and potentially the number one seed in the NFC within their reach before playing the hungry Cardinals this afternoon. All they had to do was beat the Arizona Cardinals and they could not do it in this game. The Cardinals dominated the Eagles throughout the majority of this game, and they pulled off the upset 35-31.

The Cardinals played like they were the team that had something to play for. They took full advantage of Philly’s defensive unit who is still reeling despite a coaching change. Nothing much has changed since Matt Patricia has taken over the defense still cannot get off the field on third down, the Cardinals did not punt in this contest, and Arizona rushed for 221 yards in this contest and the Eagles had no one available who could stop it. That was the one strength the Eagles defensive unit had that they do not let an opposing rusher beat them well that was nixed today as the James Connor rushed for 126-yards, one touchdown, and a passing touchdown. The playmakers on the Eagles defensive unit did not step up when it mattered and the only time, they got a positive play was when Sydney Brown intercepted Kyler Murray and went 99-yards to the house. That was the only highlight in a pretty abysmal performance by the Eagles defense and their inability to stop the Cardinals allowed them to possess the ball for 39-minutes and 39-seconds. The time of possession difference gave Jalen Hurts and the rest of the offensive unit limited time to make a difference in the game. This one is on the defense and it might be time for the defensive unit to be blown up at the end of this season clearly the switch from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia did not cover up the holes in this defensive unit that was carved up like a Christmas ham by James Connor, Kyler Murray, and Greg Dorsch. Now all eyes are back on the season finale with the New York Giants a win there and a Dallas loss in Washington will clinch the division and the two seed for the Eagles. However, it seems more likely they will end up as the fifth seed and an early playoff exit unless they get it fixed.

Philly’s offense did all they could, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal today. However, the time of possession was a key factor in why they were not able to really establish themselves in this contest. Additionally, play-calling reared its ugly head once again. There were times where the Eagles looked dominant and others where they just could not get it together. Whether that was not having the right personnel on the field and having to burn a timeout or costly penalties that killed drives. This was a game where the offense needed to make a play to bail their defense out and they could not do it today and they will take the majority of the blame for this game, when in reality the playmakers on defense have to do more to get off the field on third down. There is a lot wrong with this Eagles team and it does not look like they can get it fixed by the time the playoffs start in mid-January.

The Eagles will now travel to North Jersey to face the New York Giants and they need to play with some urgency. This game is now more important thanks to this loss to the Cardinals and the Eagles have to start this game off fast and use the run game against another aggressive defensive line that can be had in the run game. Additionally, the Eagles have to put the heat on Tyrod Taylor who is more mobile than Tommy DeVito and is prone to mistakes as well. If the Eagles can force him to be perfect, they should be able to get turnovers and they have to finish him off if they have a chance to put him on the ground. Something they did not do today against Kyler Murray. They will need to implement these things if they want to get their 12^th victory of the season and make a statement heading into the playoffs.