Sunday will be quite the test for the Arizona Cardinals as the 4-0 Philadelphia Eagles come to town. The Cardinals rallied in the second half once again against the Carolina Panthers, but still have question marks about what kind of team they really are.
A win against the Eagles would tremendously boost the confidence of the team and put them back in the spotlight for good reasons, being the ones to beat the league’s last undefeated team.
So, how have the Cardinals done against the Eagles in their most recent matchups?
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2020: Cardinals 33, Eagles 26
Both teams desperately needed this one as each tried to make a final push for a wild card spot.
The Cardinals were 7-6 coming into this game and were trying to rebound from a bad month of November and make the postseason. The Eagles were only 4-8-1, but the horrendous NFC East meant they were still in play for a playoff spot.
The game started out quickly in favor of the Cardinals, as they jumped out to a 16-0 lead. Rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts then settled in and made this a nail-biter for the Cards.
DeAndre Hopkins had the game-winning fingertip touchdown grab late in the fourth quarter. Hop had 169 receiving yards on the day and could not be stopped.
Kyler Murray dominated in this game with 406 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He also ran for a touchdown.
The game ended on a failed hail mary attempt by the Eagles and the Cardinals narrowly escaped with the home win.
2017: Eagles 34, Cardinals 7
If any Cardinals fans remember this game, they likely wish they didn’t.
The Cardinals were completely embarrassed by the Eagles in Philadelphia. Second-year quarterback Carson Wentz, who was the leading MVP candidate, shredded the Arizona defense.
Wentz had 304 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Philly’s leading receiver on the day was Nelson Agholor, who had four catches for 93 yards and a highlight reel deep pall against rookie safety Budda Baker.
The Cardinals’ offensive line was completely unable to keep Carson Palmer from being hit by a relentless Eagles pass rush. Palmer and the offense had no chance of keeping up with Wentz and company.
The leading receiver on the day for the Cards was J.J. Nelson, who had four receptions for 80 yards. The next man up was running back Andre Ellington, with nine catches for 65 yards. It was a quiet day for Larry Fitzgerald, which was unusual.
This game boiled down to an aging team that hadn’t been great the year prior and was trying to salvage what was left of their dominant 2015 team. They ran into the eventual Super Bowl champs and got embarrassed.
2015: Cardinals 40, Eagles 17
The 2015 season for the Cardinals was magical until their eventual blowout loss in the NFC Championship.
The Cardinals came into this game at 11-2 and had not lost a game in months. They came in and blew the Eagles out on national television and reminded everyone of their dominance.
This game was the first true breakout performance for rookie running back David Johnson, who had 187 yards rushing and three touchdown passes. Johnson had one of the best highlight reel runs ever, where he quite literally went through the entire Eagles defense for a rushing touchdown.
Quarterback Carson Palmer was efficient on the day with 274 passing yards and a touchdown. His counterpart, future Cardinal Sam Bradford was solid on the day but could not keep up with the Arizona offense.
Despite the blowout win, this game had major implications for the Cardinals down the road. Palmer broke his throwing finger, which heavily impacted his accuracy down the stretch and into the postseason. Star safety Tyrann Mathieu tore his ACL in this game and the defense was clearly missing him in the NFC Championship game.
It was a fun game for the Cardinals, as the win also clinched their NFC West crown that season.
