GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nick Sirianni held his breath.
With the Cardinals lined up ready to attempt a game-tying field goal, the Eagles coach called a timeout in an attempt to ice Cardinals fill-in kicker Matt Ammendola. Moments earlier, Eagles kicker Cameron Dicker, who was also signed to the practice squad earlier in the week, knocked in the go-ahead score with his 23-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 20-17 advantage.
There Sirianni stood on the visitors sideline with his hands on his knees. The snap was clean, but Prater missed his 43-yard attempt wide right. While the football twirled in the air, Sirianni ditched his headset, and leaped for joy. The second-year coach was mobbed by nearby players and coaches. And for at least another week, the Eagles preserved their perfect record.
With their thrilling victory over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium, the Eagles improved to 5-0, including 3-0 on the road.
Grading Jalen Hurts
Last season, Jalen Hurts broke Michael Vick’s single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback when he finished with 10 rushing touchdowns. Through five games, Hurts already has six rushing touchdowns, including two Sunday against the Cardinals. He’s well on-pace to exceed the franchise mark he set in 2021. His six rushing touchdowns is tied with Lions running back Jamaal Williams for most in the NFL .
As a passer, Hurts completed 26-of-36 throws for 239 yards. Protected by a battered offensive line that was without three starters for a large stretch of the game, Hurts added 61 rushing yards on 15 carries. The Cardinals dialed up the pressure at times as Hurts sustained six quarterback hits and two sacks.
Gannon’s play calling
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s calling card mainly revolves around limiting explosive plays. His recipe to success involves patrolling the backend with multiple defensive backs — even if it comes at the expense of allowing multiple short and intermediate completions. Eventually, though, those short completions can turn into big gains, especially when defenders are missing tackles and giving up too much space underneath.
During the Cardinals’ game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, Murray torched the secondary by attacking the middle part of the field. The 12-play drive featured plenty of tempo, motion, and no-huddle, which kept the Eagles’ defense on their heels. The conservative play calling from Gannon didn’t do his unit many favors with Murray finding the soft parts of the zone.
Murray was 28-of-42 with 250 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
As the opposition gets tougher, more seasoned and creative play-callers will find better ways to attack Gannon’s defense.
Special teams woes
Through five games, coordinator Michael Clay’s unit has been uninspiring. The Eagles were caught off guard near the end of the second quarter, when the Cardinals successfully executed a fake punt. On the play, the Cardinals dialed up a direct snap to running back Darrel Williams, who ran to his right and picked up seven yards on fourth-and-4. Rather than providing Hurts with a two-minute opportunity, the Cardinals wound up tacking on a field goal at the end of halftime.
Key injuries
Center Jason Kelce sustained multiple injuries, including a leg injury that forced him to miss a majority of the second quarter. In Kelce-like fashion, though, the 12-year veteran returned in the second half. Widely known as the team’s iron man and second-longest tenured player, Kelce has started 127 consecutive games, the longest such streak by any NFL interior lineman. With Kelce out, the Eagles temporarily turned to rookie Cam Jurgens.
Kelce wasn’t the only offensive lineman to sustain a blow. Starting left guard Landon Dickerson suffered a leg injury on the opening drive. After visiting the blue medical tent, the second-year lineman departed for the locker room; Dickerson was temporarily replaced by Sua Opeta for about two quarters. He later returned at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles entered Sunday’s game already without left tackle Jordan Mailata, which meant they deployed three reserves throughout the game (left tackle Jack Driscoll, Opeta, and Jurgens).
