Eagles News: Cardinals will look to attack a rare area of weakness for Jalen Hurts

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Best NFL Week 5 Single-Game Parlays: Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson and more - PFF
Jalen Hurts (5th in EPA) has been terrific so far this season, but an area where he has struggled is handling the blitz: And he’s been well-below-average in this department — both for his career and this season. Although he has struggled against the blitz, Hurts only has been blitzed 25% of the time — which is a bottom-10 rate in the NFL. Cardinals blitz second most in the NFL: At 44% blitz rate, Arizona will try and send extra pressure at Hurts early and often. Hurts in 4th in rush percentage in his career against blitzes: Not only has Hurts struggled against the blitz, but he also has a propensity to run when blitzed: 4th in rush percentage on blitzes for his career and for this season. Look for Hurts to scramble, which suggests a lean toward his rushing over and perhaps fewer passes to get him under his passing total.

Eagles offense vs. Cardinals defense preview by the numbers - BGN
As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals have the 4th highest blitz rate in the NFL this year. The Eagles have struggled against the blitz. This seems like an obvious point... but expect the Cardinals to blitz. The good news? The Cardinals haven’t actually been very good when blitzing this year, despite the fact they love to do it. The Cardinals have allowed 36 receptions (1st) when sending 5 or more rushers for 353 yards (4th) and 6 TDs (1st) for 0 interceptions. Yikes. They do have 22 pressures when sending 5 or more rushers which ranks 8th but that isn’t impressive considering how often they blitz. I doubt this is the week the Cardinals become more conservative considering the Eagles have been poor against the blitz recently but the Eagles could use the Cardinals aggressiveness to their advantage.

Above the Nest with Raichele #60: Battle of the Birds Preview, Roster Moves + Injury Reports - BGN Radio
Raichele Privette briefly recaps the Eagles Week 4 win against the Jaguars, breaks down what you need to know ahead of Week 5 against the Cardinals, runs through roster moves and injury reports for each team.

Eagles over/unders: How many games will they play in Arizona this season? - PhillyVoice
Eagles games played in Arizona this season: 1.5. My Eagles prediction before this season was more optimistic than most: I had them reaching the NFC Championship Game for the first time in five years, but ultimately losing to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Gisele-less Brady doesn’t quite to seem to be the player he once was though. Maybe this is like the story of Samson, but Gisele threw out all of Tom’s avocado ice cream and that’s how he lost his unparalleled powers. Anyway, I reserve the right to chance my pick. I’m thinking Super Bowl, which will be held in Arizona on February 12. I clearly thought the Birds would be better than the consensus this year, but I didn’t expect them to win the way they’re winning. Escaping the early February Philly weather for a week in Arizona doesn’t sound too bad, huh? OVER.

Eagles vs Cardinals Fantasy Football Worksheet, Week 5 - Sharp Football Analysis
Jalen Hurts (TRUST): Hurts had his first fantasy “letdown” last week, closing as the QB15 (15.9 points). The rain and three rushing scores from his backs didn’t help his cause but Hurts still managed to find the end zone on the ground for the fourth time this season. The weather and game script influenced a season-low 25 pass attempts but Hurts still threw for 8.2 yards per pass attempt. The Eagles have been so good to open the season that they have actually capped Hurts. Hurts leads the league with 87.7 fantasy points scored in the first half of games while the next closest player (Cooper Kupp) has 60.2 points. In the second half this season, Hurts has scored 13.6 fantasy points, which ranks 156th in the league. He does not even have a touchdown passing or rushing in the second half this season while he has thrown just 38 second half passes in total through four games. There will be no rain in Arizona, only fantasy points. The Cardinals had a reprieve last week facing Baker Mayfield, but they still rank 24th in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.6 Y/A), 25th in completion rate (68.4%), and 27th in touchdown rate (5.8%) allowed to quarterbacks with Mayfield’s numbers factored in. If Arizona can do their part offensively, this could be a fantasy smorgasbord, but at minimum, if the Eagles are well ahead once again it will likely be because Hurts played well enough to log a bunch of points early on.

Roob’s observations: An underrated quality this Eagles team has - NBCSP
3. The Cards are the only NFL team that doesn’t have a 40-yard offensive play this year. In fact, they don’t even have a play longer than 30 yards. The Eagles have nine plays over 30 yards and five 40-yarders.

Eagles-Cardinals preview: Matchups, storylines to watch, game predictions - The Athletic
Berman: The Eagles are the better team even with the injuries, and this isn’t a particularly tough place to play, even if it’s on the road. The Cardinals have lost their last seven home games. Sirianni emphasized physicality in team meetings this week, and the Eagles will prove to be the more physical team on Sunday. They’re better on both lines. The concern should be Murray. He has the potential to be an equalizer. I don’t think it’s enough for Arizona to win, but it’s enough to make it closer than you suggest. I expect Hurts to have a big game and Goedert to be the top pass catcher, but I can see the Cardinals making a late push to at least make it a one-possession game. They have 66 second-half points (and only 16 first-half points). The Eagles move to 5-0 with a 28-24 win.

Spadaro: 6 storylines to follow Sunday vs. Cardinals - PE.com
Continuity is so important to the Eagles’ offensive line and they’ve had just that through four games with the same starting five each week – all victories. With left tackle Jordan Mailata (shoulder) downgraded to out, the team will have a new starting offensive line for the first time in 2022. How much does continuity matter? In 2020, the Eagles led the lead with 57.1 adjusted games lost due to offensive linemen, the highest in the league since the 2016 Minnesota Vikings, according to Football Outsiders. In all, the Eagles used 14 different starting combinations up front. The Eagles sagged in 2020, falling to 4-11-1. Last season, the Eagles had some early injuries – guards Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo were lost for the remainder of 2021 in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. But then things stabilized a bit – although it took a few weeks later for the line to really settle down – with Landon Dickerson stepping in at left guard and Jack Driscoll and Nate Herbig sharing starting assignments at right guard. Through it all, Jason Kelce started every game for the seventh straight season, and on Sunday he is set to start his fifth game this season and his 134th consecutive game (including playoffs) overall. What does this all mean for Sunday? It means that the Eagles might have to re-establish some continuity with Driscoll in for Mailata, as he was against Jacksonville in Week 4. Arizona likes to blitz and create havoc, so the Eagles really have to be on the same page in this one.

Saturday before football Sunday: What to watch for in Eagles-Cardinals - Revenge Of The Birds
Zach Ertz is easily the best tight end the Cardinals have had since Jackie Smith in the 1960s. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Ertz with the 35th overall pick in the 2013 draft and went on to set a number of records that includes the record-breaking 116 receptions in 2018. He was traded to the Cardinals last season and went on to haul in 56 passes, 574 yards, and three touchdowns in only 11 games. In what could be a revenge game of sorts for the tight end, expect Ertz to be heavily targeted against his former team. As mentioned earlier, Haason Reddick was the Cardinals’ former first-round selection in the 2017 draft and he will be hungry for more sacks as he leads the Eagles with 3.5. “It’s always special to go back there,” Reddick told reporters in Philadelphia this week. “I always want to go back there just to show them what they let go.” Will Kyler Murray extend his win streak against Oklahoma quarterbacks? Can the Cardinals’ run game get going early? Will Jalen Hurts put on a show against the Cardinals’ defense? This is the Arizona Cardinals’ chance to make a statement with a win at home against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.

NFC East roundup: A three-team race for No. 1 - Blogging The Boys
Jalen Hurts should get a lot of credit. He has developed not only into a better quarterback but a better leader. In his press conference this week, the Philadelphia media asked him about the Manning Cast and other silly questions. Hurts turned the conversation around and asked the reporters if they had any questions about Arizona and the game. That’s a quarterback looking to stay locked in while the rest of the world crowns the Super Bowl champs. The Philly media does have a point. There are good vibes in the City of Brotherly Love right now. The Eagles beat a competitive Jaguars team in the rain, where they trailed 14-0 at one point. Each week has presented a new hurdle, and they’ve jumped over each one. Kyler Murray presents a problem for the Eagles defense they haven’t seen this season. Murray is undoubtedly more elusive and tougher to bring down than Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, and Jared Goff. According to Next Gen Stats, the former No. 1 pick willed his team to a win against the Raiders on an early two-point conversion play where he ran for almost 90 yards. He’s always a threat to run, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles defense defends that threat.

Washington Commanders vs Tennessee Titans Preview: 3 matchups to watch - Hogs Haven
Matchup 2: Carson Wentz vs his tendencies. Carson Wentz has to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers, and he has to get them involved early in the game. Jahan Dotson is out, and Logan Thomas might also miss the Titans game. Terry McLaurin has been criminally under-targeted by Wentz this year, despite some garbage time stats boosting his numbers for the year. Curtis Samuel has been used all over the offense, and he’s great for picking up some yards here and there, but the big plays have been missing, despite Wentz really, really wanting them to work. The Commanders need to feed McLaurin the ball, and get the guy they just paid into a rhythm with the guy under center. That also means a change in gameplan from Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner to help Wentz get the ball out quicker, and to the right targets. The offensive line has 3 different starters, and will likely need extra help to keep the QB upright and productive. Wentz has not looked comfortable in this offense, so adjustments from Turner need to come before the 2nd half. The running game, with a possibly freed up Antonio Gibson could help with that.

Giants roster moves: S Tony Jefferson signed: QB Davis Webb, WR Marcus Johnson elevated - Big Blue View
Johnson, 28, is a 6-foot-1, 207-pound, six-year NFL veteran. He has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. In 42 NFL games, he has 51 receptions. Johnson was elevated from the Giants’ practice squad last week against the Chicago Bears, playing a single offensive snap. With Kenny Golladay (knee), Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) unable to play, the addition of Johnson the Giants have only four wide receivers active for Sunday. The others are Richie James, David Sills and Darius Slayton.

Steelers T.J. Watt reportedly undergoes knee surgery, likely to delay his return - Behind The Steel Curtain
How long will this push Watt’s return back? Sources told ESPN just a week or two. “But the knee surgery likely will push back Watt’s return by at least another week or two, according to sources, meaning the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year now might not return until after the Steelers’ bye in Week 9. Pittsburgh hosts the Saints in Week 10 before a Week 11 road game against the Colts on Monday Night Football.” The Steelers will want to be patient with Watt’s return, not rushing him back, but it is obvious the team needs him back if they want to salvage what is left of the 2022 season. [BLG Note: The Eagles host the Steelers in Week 8.]

Investigation finds no violation in handling of Tua Tagovailoa; NFL and NFLPA agree to new concussion protocols - SB Nation
On Saturday, the NFL announced that an investigation requested by the NFLPA into how the concussion protocols were applied and followed regarding Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had concluded. According to the investigation, there were no violations of the NFL’s concussion protocols and that the guidelines were followed as written. However, the report and investigation found that the protocols in place at the time of Tagovailoa’s injury against the Buffalo Bills were “insufficient,” and the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a new series of concussion protocols, to be implemented immediately.

Legends fall, heroes rise: Phillies 2, Cardinals 0 - The Good Phight
For the second straight night, Zach Eflin was called upon to finish off the game, and for the second straight night, it wasn’t a clean inning. With two outs, he allowed singles to Corey Dickerson and Yadi Molina (Giving the announcers one final chance to verbally slobber all over him). But he finally got Tommy Edman to foul out, sending Pujols and Molina into retirement, and the Phillies into the next round. I hope everyone has gotten their “sea legs” under them in terms of watching playoff baseball, because the Phillies are off to Atlanta to face their division rivals who happen to be the defending champions. It sounds like a difficult assignment, and it assuredly will be. But remember: The more difficult the assignment, the more opportunities there are for new legends to emerge. [BLG Note: Let’s go Phils!!!]

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