Jalen Hurts comes into the Eagles at Cardinals pick off a successful debut in his first game as a starter for Philadelphia, but now the QB has tape on him. Arizona hopes to use that to their advantage, especially with the Eagles being just 1-5 on the road this season.
This is still a huge battle for both teams, as the Eagles are hanging on to faint NFC East title hopes with games against Dallas and Washington remaining in the next couple weeks. Arizona is in the 7th and final playoff spot right now, but one of the two teams trailing them (Chicago or Minnesota) will get a win since they play each other. The Cardinals are -6.5 favorites, but just a slight 53% of the public like that number.
Hurts Gets Game Two
The Eagles had to make a change at QB in a sort of last gasp effort to save their postseason chances. Carson Wentz hadn’t posted a 100+ QB rating in any of his last six starts, and his 15 INT were killing the team. Enter Jalen Hurts, the rookie who led the Eagles to a 24-21 win over the Saints last week as +7.5 home ‘dogs.
Hurts was just 17/30 passing, but he didn’t throw an INT and also added 106 yards on the ground. The RPO based offense also allowed Miles Sanders to have his best game in the last five weeks, with 115 yards and 2 TD on 14 carries. Zach Ertz is also back in the lineup, but has just 2 catches in each of the last two games after playing sparingly since mid-October.
Did the Eagles just catch the Saints off guard last week as New Orleans was looking forward to their showdown with the Chiefs? This is still an Eagles team that lost four straight prior to last week, but to their credit they did look reinvigorated after taking a 17-0 halftime lead against New Orleans.
Murray Leads His Team in a Must Win
Either Chicago or Minnesota is going to go to 7 wins after Sunday as they play each other, meaning Arizona needs a win to keep that one game buffer for the #7 playoff spot. The Cardinals host the 49ers and visit the Rams to close out the year, so it’s not the easiest road ahead.
Arizona has looked better coming into the Eagles at Cardinals pick, snapping a 3-game losing streak with a 26-7 win at the Giants last week as -3 point road favorites. Kyler Murray showed improvement with 244 yards through the air and a TD, but Arizona also settled for 4 FGs. Murray is up against Philadelphia’s #8 pass defense on Sunday, but one that takes a hit with best cover man Darius Slay (concussion) out for the Eagles.
Free Eagles at Cardinals Pick
There’s film on Hurts now, but the rookie also has a game under his belt and has worked out the nerves. Arizona does have a top 10 pass defense though, so expect this game to be settled in the trenches. The betting total is on the rise, up two points from a 47.5 open, but two offenses focused on running should eat up the clock.
Cardinals 21 – Eagles 20
Pick: Under 49.5
