The Philadelphia Eagles kept their winning ways in tact with a 24-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It was their fourth straight win, moving them up to 7-5 on the season, and allowing them to keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys, whom had beaten the Oakland Raiders earlier in the week.
The Eagles offense wasn't nearly as efficient this week as in weeks past, but their defense was able to give Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer problems early and often, forcing three turnovers - with the team finishing +3 in that department.
Quarterback Nick Foles didn't play quite as well as he had been, but overall, still had a very efficient afternoon, as he completed 21 of 34 pass attempts for 237 yards (7.0 per), 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 112.0. He ran the ball 9 times for 22 yards (2.4 per). He was also sacked 5 times for a total of 35 yards. He spread the ball around to six receivers, with tight end Zach Ertz leading the way with 5 catches for 68 yards (13.6 per) and two touchdowns.
The running game was largely ineffective for the Eagles, as they ran the ball 34 times for 105 yards (3.1 per). LeSean McCoy led the bunch with 19 carries for 79 yards (4.2). He also added 36 through the air on 5 receptions (7.2 per).
The Eagles defense played well for the most part and were the main reason the Eagles won their fourth consecutive contest. Philly's secondary picked off Carson Palmer on two separate occasions and forced him to fumble the ball on another.
The special teams aspect was another bright spot for Philadelphia. On three kickoff returns, the Eagles averaged 28.7 yards per, while limiting the Cardinals to an average of 19.8 per kick return and 1.5 per punt return. Place kicker Alex Henery made his only field goal attempt, which proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Lastly, punter Donnie Jones continued his solid season by pinning the Cardinals inside their own 20-yard line on 7 of his 8 punts.
With this win, the Eagles stayed tied with Dallas atop the NFC East, with the Cowboys holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. Philadelphia is now also tied for 7th in the NFC, alongside Arizona - with whom they hold the tiebreaker advantage - one game behind 8-4 San Francisco. Next Sunday, they'll play against 7-5 Detroit in their third straight home game. Detroit is coming off a dominating Thanksgiving Day win against the Green Bay Packers, which moved them in sole position of first place in the NFC North. Both teams' defensive weaknesses appear to be in their secondaries, so it should be an interesting game. If Philadelphia can limit Calvin Johnson's production, they may have a shot, but if they don't do that, it may be a long game for Chip Kelly and company.
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